The Glass Garden, New York - A Personal Testimony

Nancy Chambers, Director and Horticultural Therapist, Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center.

"On the morning of September 11th 2001 I was at work at NYU Medical Center, on of the three major teaching hospitals in the city about two miles north of the World Trade Center. Our Hospital went into disaster plan, which I had never seen before.

"Doctors, nurses, occupational and physical therapists set up triage stations on the ground floor, right beside our garden. Mattresses, blankets, water, IV units, blood, everything was made ready within minutes... and then the waiting began. After a couple of hours it was painfully obvious that we were not receiving any injuries... that there weren't any.

"Wednesday I took an empty train in to work. The city was empty, like a morgue - no movement anywhere except police, fire jets overhead and constant sirens. I opened our gardens, not expecting any visitors. By the afternoon the garden was filled with laughing and playing children and their quiet sombre parents standing around in small groups.

"The next day, and the next day after that, the gardens were filled. On Friday we had a hospital-wide meeting to discuss our response and to praise us for our work. Administration also recognised the utter frustration of care-givers who could not give care.

"I came away from that week feeling not at all frustrated but very fulfilled. I had provided a place that was very important to people in a time of crisis - a garden. This phenomenon repeated itself all over America the next few weeks. Museums, stores, theatres were empty. Places of worship and gardens were full. These were the sanctuaries - places of peace, tranquility and solace during times of stress, giving restoration and respite."

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