Remembering 9/11 heroes: Roselle, the guide dog who led a blind man down 78 floors

It's been 24 years since 9/11, and stories of bravery and human resilience from the fateful day continue to fascinate the world even today. One such tale is of the blind man Michael Hingson, his guide dog Roselle and how she saved not only him, but also 30 other people. She guided Hingson down from the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Towers, after the first plane struck. Moments later, the building collapsed. Roselle remained calm amid all the hullabaloo and the flying debris, helped Hingson reach a subway station. They then helped a woman here who had lost her sight because of the falling debris. Roselle even appeared on TV shows and was awarded for her bravery. Her resilience led Hingson to become a motivational speaker and to write a book about her.

Guide dog Roselle, who saved a blind man and 30 others after the 9/11 attacks

Hingson was on the 78th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center working a job on September 11, 2001. Since he was blind, he had a guide dog with him. Roselle had been with him since 1999. A loud noise and shaking jolted them both. She was sleeping under his desk when the American Airlines Flight 11 struck 15 floors above them. Moments later, chaos ensued as smoke started to fill the building. As everyone ran helter-skelter to understand what was going on, Roselle calmly did what she knew she had to do. She guided Hingson to stairwell B to help him get out of the building. However, they were on the 78th floor, and had to descend 1,463 steps to exit the tower. Amid everything that was going on, Roselle ensured Hingon climbed down the stairs safely. Thirty others also joined them to save themselves from the tragic attack.

Roselle led all of them out of the building in over an hour. Soon after they were out, Tower 2 came crashing down like a pack of cards. Debris flung everywhere, and even hit them, yet Roselle did not give in. She led Hingson to the safety of a subway station and also saved another woman. Roselle's story of bravery made headlines everywhere. She became famous for saving her owner and 30 others on 9/11. Hingson switched careers, quitting as a computer salesman to become a Public Affairs Director for the Guide Dogs for the Blind. They appeared on several TV shows, as people applauded Roselle.

Book on Roselle, the guide dog

She retired as a guide dog in March 200,7 as medications for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia had started damaging her kidneys. Hingson was assigned a new guide dog, but Roselle continued to live with him. In 2011, she died two days after the doctor found she had stomach ulcers. Hingson got together with author Susy Flory to write a book talking about Roselle's bravery. Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. He and his wife, Karen, set up the Roselle's Dream Foundation, a charitable foundation to help visually-impaired people live a normal life.