On Friday November 13^th 2015, Williston had the opportunity to listen to a man by the name of Michael Hingson tell his unique story about his experience on the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Michael Hingson is blind, and at the time of the attack he was in his office with his friend David from California. Michael Hingson and David both escaped the World Trade Center by walking down 78 flights of stairs following the lead of Michael’s service dog, Roselle.

Mr. Hingson, 65, told his story to the Williston audience, during which he recalled the day from start to finish, giving great detail of each event that took place. He expressed his thoughts and feelings about that fateful day, while also explaining what it is like to be blind overall. He addressed stereotypes and assumptions about blind people and challenged the Williston community to think differently.

In a separate interview, Michael Hingson explains what message he hopes the Williston audience takes away from his story.

He says, “I hope that the message that people get is that even though we may have unexpected changes, sometimes very challenging and radical changes, in our lives that we don’t like and may not have control over, we can certainly control how we deal with the changes. We can cope with unexpected things in our lives.”

He continues, “9/11 was certainly a major change and many of us learned to move forward from it.”

Another message he hoped to send to the audience was in reference to accepting the differences of others and not judging them based on their differences.

He notes, “There are a lot of people that are different in a variety of ways. I mean as a blind person I am certainly different than anyone who can see. But we shouldn’t judge people by our perceptions of the difference; we should judge each of us on our own merit. And that we don’t do all the time.”

Since that tragic day in American history, Mr. Hingson has traveled all over the country as a motivational speaker. He has been a frequent guest on different radio and television programs, telling the story of how his former guide dog, Roselle, helped him to escape from one of the twin towers on 9/11.

In August 2011, Mr. Hingson published Thunder Dog, The Story Of A Blind Man: A Guide Dog, And The Triumph Of Trust at Ground Zero. The book made the New York Times Best Sellers list in its first week of publication.

Following the book’s success, Mr. Hingson co-wrote and published Running With Roselle: How a Blind Boy and a Puppy Grew Up, Became Best Friends, and Together Survived on One of America’s Darkest Days. This was published in December 2013 and tells the story of Roselle as she grows up to become the canine heroine who helped Mr. Hingson escape the World Trade Center’s north tower.

Michael Hingson has been recognized as an internationally acclaimed public speaker who has captivated hundreds of audiences with his interesting and unique account of 9/11. Williston was honored to host him and to hear his powerful story.