Healthcare Worker Got Clearance to Fly a Plane on 9/11 to Save a Baby’s Life. 25 Years Later, the Pair Finally Met (Exclusive)

Jill Grandas helped secure an organ transplant for now-25-year-old Kareena, who had been dying of liver failure at the time

NEED TO KNOW

• A healthcare worker helped a six-month-old girl get a liver transplant during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, despite the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shutting down the national airspace
• Jill Grandas saved the life of now-25-year-old Kareena, who had been dying of liver failure at the time, and they finally met in person for the first time 25 years later
• “I felt so desperate to convey how grateful I am for her selflessness, her dedication and her kindness,” Kareena tells PEOPLE

During the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shut down the national airspace so no ordinary civilian or commercial flights were allowed to fly, only military, police, firefighting and medical transport flights. Among those was one that got clearance thanks to a nurse, who helped save a baby’s life.

Jill Grandas was able to defy the national ground stop and get a plane in the air to deliver a liver to a 6-month-old, Kareena, who had been dying of liver failure at the time. Now, 25 years later, Grandas and Kareena finally met in person for the first time.

“Leading up to the meeting, I felt an intense mix of anticipation, gratitude and emotion,” Grandas, 62, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Working in organ donation, we are honored to save thousands of lives each year, and it is always profound to meet someone impacted by our work, including the families of our donor heroes, as well as the recipients of the organs we recover.”

Still, meeting Kareena, Grandas explains, “carried a unique weight, because her story is bound to a day of unimaginable national loss.”

“When people ask me where I was on 9/11, I can say that amidst our collective horror and grief, I helped save a life,” she adds.

According to Kareena, “It was so incredibly heartwarming to meet Jill in person.”

“She radiates such generosity and warmth that is so beautiful to be around, and it felt like we instantly fell into a natural conversation,” continues the 25-year-old of Grandas, who works as the CEO of Tennessee Donor Services.

“We bonded over our giddiness in meeting in person, our mutual gratitude, and of course, the traffic we endured to reach each other on a Thursday afternoon,” jokes Kareena, adding: “We also chatted about drinking black tea, and it turns out we both have a rather serious obsession.”

Kareena also tells PEOPLE she was “really excited” to meet Grandas “so I could thank her in person after 25 years.” She explains, “I felt so desperate to convey how grateful I am for her selflessness, her dedication and her kindness.”

During the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and killed nearly 3,000 people, marking the deadliest terrorist attack in history.

“I was taking my kids to school and heard on the radio that the first World Trade Center tower had been hit. Like the rest of the world, I was devastated,” Grandas recalls. “By the time I got to work, the second tower had been hit, and everyone was coming to realize that our country was in the middle of a terrorist attack. The news came fast. They believed other planes could be hijacked and headed to Washington, D.C., and the FAA had called for an immediate ground stop. We were scared, confused and overcome with grief.”

According to Grandas, she and her coworkers “all wanted to stop and absorb what was happening, but because of the nature of our work, we couldn’t.”

“Even a few minutes pause in the field of organ donation can mean that a life isn’t saved because human organs are so fragile and those waiting on transplants are so ill,” she says.

On Sept. 11, Grandas says she got a call from staff in the operating room at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville about Kareena, “who desperately needed a liver that day in order to survive.”

“At Vanderbilt, there was a donor whose liver was compatible, and we needed to fly that liver to Houston immediately to save the baby’s life,” she further recalls.

“My first thought was what it always is: ‘Okay, let’s make this happen,’ “ Grandas continues. “But in that same breath, reality set in. With all planes grounded, flying a liver to Houston was impossible. I had so many thoughts going through my mind, but I was trying to stay calm and figure out options.”

“Then I thought, ‘Well, if the FAA is grounding the planes, the FAA can help me get one in the air,” adds the CEO, who has worked with Tennessee Donor Services for 39 years. “Today, looking back from the vantage point of 25 years, I realize how fantastical that idea was, given what was happening in New York, D.C. and Pennsylvania. But I’m so glad I didn’t second-guess myself then.”

Still, Grandas says challenges were in place, including one major obstacle: how would she actually reach the FAA?

Her solution? Grandas says, “I picked up the phone book, which at that time was still the best source for finding someone, and turned to the blue pages, which listed government offices. There in black and white was the number of the Air Traffic Control Tower at Nashville Airport.”

“I dialed the number — and someone answered. I could not believe it,” she continues, adding, “They transferred me to the tower’s supervisor immediately, and I explained that I was with Tennessee Donor Services and a baby was about to die in Houston if we couldn’t get a liver to her now.”

“I will never forget her words: ‘I understand your emergency,’ “ Grandas recalls. “I didn’t know then, but what I later found out was this good Samaritan on the other end of the line had experienced having a loved one of her own on the transplant list.”

A short time later, Grandas says the organ was on its way to a Nashville airport with nine Tennessee National Guard members, who “flew on a C-130 plane with only one piece of cargo, a tiny donor liver.”

“It was my only joy in a day that devastated our world,” Grandas tells PEOPLE. “Because of those dedicated teams at Vanderbilt and Tennessee Donor Services who did not stop their work, because of the bravery of the Tennessee National Guardsmen who risked their lives to take to the skies, Kareena’s life was saved that day in Houston.”

“The most astonishing part was — as much as I was determined to not take ‘no’ for an answer — no one actually ever told me ‘no,’ “ she adds. “Not the staff at the hospital, not the FAA or the National Guard. No one said, ‘This is impossible.’ They found ways to make it possible. I was overwhelmed by their faith and perseverance, then and still today.”

“To look back 25 years later and realize that complete strangers across government, military and medicine united in our country’s darkest hour to save one child’s life is such a source of pride. It shows the true spirit of America then and today, even when our world was being torn apart, our capacity for compassion, courage and unity could not be broken,” Grandas continues. “And the true heroes of this story are the organ donor and their family who, in their darkest moment of grief and loss, gave then-six-month-old Kareena the gift of life.”

Looking back, Kareena says, “With every passing year, I feel the power of this story more keenly than before.”

“On such a dark day in our country, a group of strangers worked together to save a baby girl’s life. When I’m worried about a deadline or anxious about reaching a personal goal, I take a step back and remember how lucky I am to be here in the first place,” she adds. “I’m so grateful to my care team at Texas Children’s Hospital, Tennessee Donor Services, the Air National Guard, my family, the donor family and everyone who played a part in getting me my liver that day.”

Grandas tells PEOPLE she is “just so proud to know” Kareena and to “have this special bond with her.”

“The events on that day will always be with me. Kareena is part of my 9/11 story,” she says. “Now, meeting her 25 years later, it is extraordinarily moving to see what a bright and beautiful person she is. We talked all about her health , which is wonderful, her goals in life. She handles everything with such grace.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kareena is currently going to law school and considering a career in health policy.

“Growing up with a transplanted liver meant an early entry into the healthcare world,” she tells PEOLE. “I grew up taking my medicine every day, getting my labs done every few months and seeing my doctor every year to discuss my liver. As a kid, I thought I wanted to know more about health from the clinical side. But as I got older, I became more interested in the underlying factors affecting health, specifically the social determinants of health.”

“It was far more compelling to me the ways in which transportation, clean air and food access influence health on a large scale,” continues Kareena, adding, “Over the next few years, I’m excited to learn more about the ways in which the law can be used to advance health equity.”

Grandas, for her part, says, “I am extremely proud of Kareena for drawing inspiration from her organ transplant journey and turning it into a career. I have no doubt that she will make a difference in the lives of so many.”

“Kareena’s life is a lasting reminder to me of the extraordinary difference that teamwork, determination and compassion can make. Her journey, her successful transplant and the special life she has gone on to live are an enduring source of inspiration for me,” adds Grandas.

Read the full article here