Thread by @WSJ

Nearly 3,000 children lost parents in the Sept. 11 attacks. Now young adults or in their 30s, some talk of the pain of missing fathers they never met, and the burden of constantly being seen as victims. on.wsj.com/3A6YhPi

Being labeled a child of 9/11 was uncomfortable for Leah Quigley, who was born a month after her father’s death. Like others who never met their dads—about 86% of the lost parents were fathers—she knows hers mostly from photos and stories told by others. on.wsj.com/38U9Kpq

Nicholas Gorki, whose mother was pregnant with him when his father died in the attacks, was a worrier growing up. He imagines how life would be different had his parents moved out of New York, which they had considered before the towers fell. on.wsj.com/3DZU6aj

Some children of 9/11 victims describe deep pride in their resilience, tight bonds with siblings and ways they have connected with their lost parents on.wsj.com/3jVCNPI

Tony-nominated actress Celia Rose Gooding was a toddler when her father was killed. Her mother, a Tony winner herself, gave her daughter his wedding band, which Celia takes with her everywhere. on.wsj.com/3ngtaNM

New Yorkers Julia Gardner, 22, and Michael Gardner, 24, find connections with their father through music and sports: She loves to listen to her dad’s vinyl records, while he still plays basketball with his father’s buddies. on.wsj.com/3l5EE3P

Ashley Bisman, who was in high school when her father was killed, started writing down memories of her dad in her 30s. She then wove those into a memoir, published in June, that is by turns tragic and funny. on.wsj.com/3BV0FZS

The Sept. 11 attacks left 2,752 bereaved children under age 18, according to one study. Most lived in New York or New Jersey, and their mean age was just under 8 years old. About 86% of the lost parents were fathers. on.wsj.com/3C2ex4y