Hundreds of people turned out Sunday in Boston, Massachusetts, to remember and pay tribute to victims at the American Red Cross 9/11 Blood Drive.
Among those in attendance at Fenway Park was Christie Coombs, who lost her husband Jeff on Flight 11.
"We came here and it was a whole other feeling," said Coombs. "It was festive and it was a nice way to turn the day away around."
Coombs said her husband used to donate blood every chance he could.
"And he's not here to give so this is a way to carry it on for him," Coombs said.
After the first year, Coombs knew the blood drive would become a tradition for her and her children.
"My daughter, who was 11 at the time, had just met Larry Lucchino and some Red Sox players and had the world championship rings on both hands and she said, 'mom this is great, I never thought that we could have fun on 9/11 again, can we do this every year,'" Coombs recalled.
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Maura Heidcamp also spends each anniversary at the blood drive.
"I was on the 55th floor of the first tower that was hit that day," Heidcamp said.
For hours she and her husband were separated, not knowing if the other was alive. They were reunited at a Red Cross shelter.
"This is our thing, we come here every year and donate every year," she said. "As long as they do it, we will be here."
Others that turned out for the event wanted to turn the day into a positive reminder of the hope and unity felt after the attacks.
"The good news is for the families that were so horribly affected by it, it's pretty clear that they still have an army of folks behind them to support them every year to make sure that they know that no one is ever going to forget," said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.
