Wesley Snipes says his baby girl saved his life on 9/11

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Wesley Snipes firmly believes his daughter's birth is to credit for saving his life on September 11, 2001.

Referring to the terrorist attacks that took place on New York City's World Trade Center, the actor recently explained Iset Jua-T Snipes' arrival in Los Angeles kept his family from traveling to their home on the east coast during that time period.

"We lost a place, but my daughter was born at the same time," the father of five, whose second wife is painter Nikki Park, explained. "We were taking care of her in Los Angeles, because there's a tradition that you don't travel with a newborn.

"So, literally, we were lying in bed, and my sister called me and said, 'Turn on the TV.' Our daughter's lying there between us, and I looked over at my lady and said, 'Baby, our place is gone!' I just turned to my daughter and started kissing her. 'That's why you came, my girl. You saved our lives... you're a lifesaver!'"

Along with Iset, Wesley Snipes and Nikki are parents to sons Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes, Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes, and Alimayu Moa-T Snipes. His firstborn child, who arrived during his 5-year marriage to April Dubois, is Jelani Asar Snipes.

I wasn't yet a parent on 9/11, and was just waking up in my college apartment when the news hit. I thought it was fake at first, another movie preview where New York gets blown up. When I realized it wasn't just some promotional clip, my heart sank and my feet hit the ground. I ran over to my boyfriend's (now husband) apartment and crawled in bed with him while we watched the news unfold.

It's funny, in that not-actually-humorous kind of way, how events can have different degrees of impact depending on what's going on in your own life. September 11 is something I'll never forget, that permanently changed my sense of security and degree of naiveness, but two natural disasters stand out in my mind as equally gut-wrenching. Three months after becoming a first time mom, the 2004 tsunami occurred, and my son was just 11 months old when Hurricane Katrina hit in late August of 2005. I was a complete wreck watching these tragedies both unfold, but couldn't look away.

In the years since there have, of course, been more tragedies and disasters of varying magnitudes, but none seem to have struck me as hard as these three. September 11 I think did because an attack like that had been unfathomable to me beforehand, while the other two I think hit me so hard because I was a new parent.

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What historic events or disasters most stick out in your mind? Why do you think that is?

Photos: PR Photos

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