When American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, Mike Casey suddenly became a single parent to his seven-month-old daughter.
Casey's wife, Neilie, had waved goodbye that morning from their driveway in Wellesley, Mass., and never came home again. The loss almost brought Casey to his knees, but the support of family, friends and the "positive energy" of his baby pulled him through. His perspective on life, however, was forever changed.
Abandoning a successful career in advertising "because life is too short" Casey decided to take a gamble and pursue a dream. In 2005, he opened his own business, Casey Photography, with only his small savings, two cameras and three lenses. Specializing in portrait photography, the business will bring in $125,000 in revenue this year.
But the bottom line is not the only thing growing in Casey's life. He remarried and his now 10-year-old daughter became the big sister of an adopted baby boy who joined the family just weeks before the anniversary of the tragedy.
Personally and professionally, Casey feels blessed and took this lesson from that horrible morning: "Tomorrow is never guaranteed," he said. "Take a leap of faith, you'll never regret it."
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