Patricia Quigley and Susan Retik 9/11 Widows Live Beyond the 11th
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Living Beyond the 11th
Turning a tragedy into a tribute is one of the ways for survivors to keep going and and keep living after the traumatic loss of a loved one.
Introducing my superheroes...Patricia Quigley and Susan Retik, two 9/11 widows on a heroic mission to overcome grief and loss by connecting with Afghanistan widows.
These two women have found a way to turn tragedy into a triumph, a living legacy of reaching out to help others as they overcome they own grief.
Introducing my superheroes...Patricia Quigley and Susan Retik, two 9/11 widows on a heroic mission to overcome grief and loss by connecting with Afghanistan widows.
These two women have found a way to turn tragedy into a triumph, a living legacy of reaching out to help others as they overcome they own grief.
Important!
'You can't always choose the roles you play in life, but you can choose the way in which you play them.'
"We didn't choose to be 9/11 widows, but with that title comes a voice."
Susan Retik
"We didn't choose to be 9/11 widows, but with that title comes a voice."
Susan Retik
Beyond Belief
About Beyond Belief
Susan Retik and Patti Quigley are two ordinary soccer moms living in the suburbs of Boston. Then tragedy strikes. As they cope with loss and struggle to raise their families as single mothers, they dedicate themselves to empowering Afghan widows whose lives have been ravaged by decades of war, poverty and oppression - factors they consider to be the root causes of terrorism.As Susan and Patti make the courageous journey from their comfortable neighborhood to desperate Afghan villages, they discover a powerful bond with each other, and an unlikely kinship with widows halfway around the world.
Theirs is a journey of personal strength and international reconciliation, and a testament to the vision that peace can be forged, one woman at a time.
Afghanistan Woman and Child
Fate of Afghanistan Widows
International relief organizations estimate that in Kabul alone, there are 30,000 - 50,000 widows, struggling to support an average of five children on less than $16 per month.
Beyond Belief in the Amazon Spotlight
Beyond Belief
Amazon Price: $14.57 (as of 02/16/2012)
After two "soccer moms," Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, lose their husbands in the events of 9/11, grief compels them to focus on Afghanistan, the country where the terrorists who took their husbands' lives were trained. Over the course of two years these extraordinary women dedicate themselves to empowering Afghan widows.
Patti Quigley, Beth Murphy, Susan Retik
Statistics on Beyond Belief
A Beth Murphy Film
- Featuring: Susan Retik, Patti Quigley
Director: Beth Murphy
Genres: Documentary, Politics/Religion and War
Total Running Time: 98 min
Production Year: 2006
DVD Release Date: June 15, 2008
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Available from: Alive Mind
More about Beyond Belief
Susan Retik and Patti Quigley's organization Beyond the 11th will receive a donation of $3 from each DVD purchase of "Beyond Belief".
- "Beyond Belief" Trailer
- This is the trailer from "Beyond Belief" is brought to you by Alive Mind.
- Alive Mind Media
- Buy Beyond Belief and other titles on DVD at Alive Mind Media.
- Alive Mind Woman
- The Making of Beyond Belief is featured in Alive Mind Woman.
- Beyond the 11th to Receive $3 Donation for each Beyond Belief DVD Purchase
- Alive Mind Woman is donating $3 from each DVD sale of Beyond Belief to Beyond the 11th, the organization featured in the documentary that aids Afghan widows.
- Purchase Beyond Belief
- You can purchase Beyond Belief from the Alive Mind Woman website.
Forging Peace Woman by Woman
Two women demonstrating that- Peace can be forged,
one woman at a time.
Blog Posts about Beyond Belief
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Another Afghanistan Widow
Afghanistan Statistics
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world:
- It ranks 173rd out of 178 countries in development.
- The average life expectancy is still 44.5 years, about twenty years younger than most neighboring countries.
- Only 25 percent of the population has access to clean drinking water.
- The adult literacy rates remain among the lowest in the world at 28.7 percent.
Important!
To be a widow in Afghanistan is the worst. You're not worth anything.
Susan Retik
Susan Retik
The Fate of Widows in Afghanistan
"All of those widows and all of those children - who's going to take care of them?" Retik asks. "There's nobody left to help out."Rick Perera, a spokesman for CARE International who accompanied the women to Kabul, outlines the challenge. "Widows are very much dependent on their in-laws. Particularly the husband's brothers, the male members of the family, have a lot of say. The widows can lose their homes, they can even lose their children."
Yet when widows have an education and a way to earn money, those challenges are less daunting. One woman told the group that she had been repeatedly beaten by her brothers-in-law, and her daughter was beaten, because she sent the daughter to school.
Education is what all the mothers want for their children, especially daughters, Retik says. "If they're not educated, there isn't going to be any change."
Source: Gardner M. Widows helping others. May 31, 2006. CSMonitor.com
Patti Quigley and Afganistan Widow
Beyond the 11th
Beyond the 11th supports Afghan widows affected by war and terrorism, by funding programs that provide life-sustaining financial and emotional support.Beyond the 11th exists because of the resilient spirit of Patricia Quigley and Susan Retik, two mothers who were widowed on 9/11.
As Patti and Susan struggled to recover from their loss, they felt a growing kinship with the overwhelming number of widows in Afghanistan. They recognized the incredible generosity they received and the absolute scarcity of help for their counterparts in Afghanistan.
In 2003, Patti and Susan founded Beyond the 11th to help provide financial and emotional support to these widows and their children and to give them hope for a better future.
Important!
We are honored that Alive Mind is donating proceeds from the film to Beyond the 11th and grateful to Beth Murphy of Principle Pictures for creating such a beautiful film.
With the purchase of each DVD, we are helping to raise both money and awareness for the plight of widows in Afghanistan.
Susan Retik
With the purchase of each DVD, we are helping to raise both money and awareness for the plight of widows in Afghanistan.
Susan Retik
Website for Beyond the 11th
- Beyond the 11th - a charitable foundation devoted to supporting widows in war-torn areas
- Beyond the 11th supports Afghan widows affected by war and terrorism, by funding programs that provide life-sustaining financial and emotional support.
Grantees of Beyond the 11th
Grantees of Beyond the 11th are CARE International, Women for Women International, Bpeace and Arzu.
- Beyond the 11th Grantee - Arzu
- Arzu, meaning hope in Dari, helps provide sustainable income to Afghan widows by sourcing and selling their hand-made carpets.
- Beyond the 11th Grantee - Bpeace
- Business Council for Peace (Bpeace) offers Afghan female entrepreneurs business consulting, training, mentoring, networking opportunities, access to capital, and international markets for their goods and services.
- Beyond the 11th Grantee - CARE
- The HAWA poultry-rearing program has been a great success. Widows who participate in the program attend poultry training classes.
CARE's Livestock Development Program enables widows to generate income by raising and managing cows and lambs. - Beyond the 11th Grantee -Women for Women International
- Women for Women International gives women survivors of war the tools they need to move from poverty to self-sufficiency.
Turning Tragedy into a Tribute to Survive a Loss
In tragic situations many survivors find that investing their energies to create change or form advocacy organizations can be a positive way of channeling the intense energy, often anger, experienced in grief.
Turning tragedy into a tribute is one of the ways that people can keep going and not only survive a traumatic experience, but thrive in spite of the loss.
Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT
Turning tragedy into a tribute is one of the ways that people can keep going and not only survive a traumatic experience, but thrive in spite of the loss.
Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT
More about the 9/11 Widows
- 9/11 widows make a difference in Afghanistan - Making a Difference
- NBC's Dawn Fratangelo introduces you to two 9/11 widows with a mission in Afghanistan, where women share their pain from MSNBC.com.
- Widows helping others
- After these two lost their husbands on 9/11, they began reaching out to women in war-torn countries from the Christian Science Monitor, csmonitor.com.
- 9/11 Widows Journey "Beyond Belief"
- Press Release about the 9/11 Widows Journey chronicled in Beyond Belief. Produced by Alive Mind the DVD Benefits the "Beyond the 11th" Foundation.
- Making a Difference: Susan Retik
- Susan Retik talks about losing her husband on September 11 on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Are these women your superheroes too?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes. They're inspirational.
poddys says:
I think these brave women took on a huge challenge. They are definitely an inspiration to us all.
Posted September 11, 2011
seerpent8 says:
i just finished watching this important documentary on netflix. i am completely inspired by these two women and their stories. the last 30 minutes was one ov the most emotional experiences i've ever had watching a documentary. highly recommended!
Posted May 17, 2011
toddgizzi says:
What Susan and Patti have done is amazing. The love they encompass and emit is truly remarkable. To know there are people on our planet with that much love makes me happy to be alive.
Posted March 24, 2009
Margo_Arrowsmith says:
I can't say enough about these women. To take their loss and reach out to others. They are the most amazing heroes, my words aren't enough.
Posted September 22, 2008
Frankster says:
They most definitely are. I am truly moved by these women and how they are overcoming their grief by using their voice and actions for peace and understanding.
Posted June 20, 2008
No. I have someone else in mind.
Photo Credits
Afghanistan Woman and Child. Steve Evans. Afghanistan. Creative Commons.
Patti Quigley and Afganistan Widow. Used with Permission.
Patti Quigley, Beth Murphy, Susan Retik. Used with Permission.
Patti Quigley and Afganistan Widow. Used with Permission.
Patti Quigley, Beth Murphy, Susan Retik. Used with Permission.
9/11 Widows in the News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byLove You Mean It in the Amazon Spotlight
Love You, Mean It: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship
Amazon Price: $3.49 (as of 02/16/2012)
A book that will console and inspire written by four widows of the 9/11 World Trade Center Tragedy.
Other 9/11 Widow Books Available on Amazon
Let's Roll in the Amazon Spotlight
Let's Roll!: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
Amazon Price: $1.99 (as of 02/16/2012)
The best-seller that has brought comfort and hope to millions in the wake of 9/11.
Let's Roll!--the moving, behind-the-scenes story of United Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer and his widow, Lisa.
The book is a message of character, courage, and undeniable faith in the face of horrifying tragedy, it encourages anyone who reads it to live real life right now.
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Anything More to Add?
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VickiSims
Sep 16, 2011 @ 9:59 pm | delete
- I'm so glad you wrote this lens about these wonderful courageous, caring women. I had not previously heard of them or the documentary about their journey. I will be buying the DVD to learn more about their story and to help the work they are doing.
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poddys
Sep 11, 2011 @ 2:35 am | delete
- This is an excellent lens and I had never heard of these two amazing women before. It's such a shame that countries like Afghanistan are only poor and undeveloped because of the cruelty of their leaders. Let us hope that in the last few years they have been able to turn things around, and when our troops finally leave, they will be strong enough to never have to go back to living in the primitive conditions that they had before. I left a well deserved blessing behind, and featured this on the 9-11 section of my United States Of America lens.
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KarenKay
Sep 4, 2011 @ 7:15 pm | delete
- Beautifully told story of two courageous women! Thank you for sharing it with us! Blessed and nominated as "the Best Lens I found over Labor Day Weekend" in a special Squid Angel Quest.
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Margo_Arrowsmith
Sep 26, 2008 @ 4:21 pm | delete
- Thank you so much. These women turned their own grief into life for others.
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Margo_Arrowsmith
Sep 22, 2008 @ 7:37 pm | delete
- Wow, thanks so much for doing this. I am featuring it in my Afghan women lens! I am an idea for connecting women from 7 countries to help each other in business. I will keep this forever (it also goes into my squidoo library lens) so I can contact these women when the time comes!
Thank you so much
Margo
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P.S. I made this lens for the Squidoo Superheroes Project
I was invited to participate in the Squidoo Superhero Project, making 5 lenses in 2 weeks about the people who have inspired me, mentored me or changed the way I look at the world.If you buy anything from this page, you'll automatically be sending a royalty straight to the Squidoo Charity Fund, which pays out to a variety of nonprofits every month.
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Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief and bereavement, professional health educator, professor,... more »
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Watch Beyond Belief
Beyond Belief
Amazon Price: $14.57 (as of 02/16/2012)
Watch the inspiring story of how two women found a way to turn tragedy into triumph.
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