Stories of 9/11: The Youngest Victim Who Lost Her Life in Front of Her Grandparents Was Their 'Special Little Child'

Years after a tragedy rocked America, those affected by the event still feel the reverberations of the shock they felt that day. One family has spoken up about a precious soul they lost on that fateful day.

Christine Lee Hanson was only two years old when she passed away on United Airlines Flight 175. Her parents were with her on her first-ever plane ride, which quickly turned extremely dark.

Twenty years after Christine passed, her grandmother finally spoke out about the day she and her husband lost their granddaughter. They suffered immense heartbreak because of her death.

It was an hour into Christine's first plane ride on September 11, 2001, when her father phoned his father and told him he thought the plane was being hijacked. Theirs was the second plane to be seized, and they were among 3,000 victims who died. Hanson was the youngest victim.

What Did Christine's Grandmother Say?

A few days before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Christine's grandmother, Eunice, talked about what it was like to lose their special grandchild at such a young age.

Eunice said that her grandchild was "a special little child" who was kind and hardly ever in trouble. She gushed:

"If she did get into mischief, she found a way to make everyone laugh."

Eunice had spoken to her granddaughter for the last time two days before the flight. Eunice had phoned to wish her granddaughter a good trip as she was going to Disneyland for the first time. The family was meant to fly on September 10 but changed the flight due to Christine's father's job.

The flight being changed at the last minute was something that haunted Eunice. It was something she thought about for a year after the tragedy. Eunice also couldn't talk about that fact for a year.

Christine's middle name, Lee, was given because of her grandfather, with whom she had a special bond from the beginning. Eunice said that Christine would cling to her husband anytime they visited their granddaughter.

What Happened to The Little Girl on 9/11?

Eunice and Lee developed a close bond with their granddaughter and were looking forward to the next time they would see her, which was to be a few days after their Disneyland trip at a wedding. Tragically, that meeting never happened.

Christine's father, Peter, phoned his father while Lee and Eunice were eating breakfast. After Lee hung up the phone with Peter, he immediately called the authorities, and they informed him that a different plane had hit the World Trade Center.

When Peter called back, Lee and Eunice turned on the TV to see the burning building. This time, the pair's son confirmed their plane would crash. He then exclaimed:

​​"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"

After that, the line dropped. Eunice said they watched as the plane flew into the second tower, and Lee then hung up the phone but was never the same again. Unfortunately, Lee died in November 2018, meaning he never saw the defendants go to trial.

When asked what she would say if she got to speak to the defendants, Eunice admitted she would swear at them and then ask them how they could have killed her family and how they had so much hate.

Although it has been over two decades since the attack, Eunice says she has never stopped thinking about her granddaughter. She has thought about the milestones she has missed and wondered what she would have turned out to be.

Luckily, Eunice has two other children and grandchildren who have helped her overcome the more difficult times, even though her grief has not lessened. Eunice admits that she has become used to living with her grief.

When Eunice remembers her granddaughter, she thinks about how her youngest grandchild brought everyone around her joy and says she has no doubt she would still do so today if she were still alive.

As we remember those lost and those who bravely fought to save the victims of 9/11, we remember how communities rallied together to help families overcome this difficult time. Even celebrities became involved. Read about one of these stories here.