A friend took me to an ACCESS event in May 2001. My family never talked to people about their feelings and experiences. We did not know anyone who had survived an air disaster-related loss. Being involved in ACCESS has given me the feeling of personally belonging and identifying with others. It helped me take time to help others “ to show them that they are not alone, that someone understands what they are going through and even to smile again.

Jack Karamanoukian, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, lost his brother, Serge, on SwissAir Flight 111