9/11 anniversary: 'I'll mark mom's death with love and reflection'

"Grief is a loss that never goes away, even 20 years on, it still hurts"

Aro Rose was just two years old when her mum was killed in the 9/11 attack on New York's World Trade Centre.

Almost 3,000 people died when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the Twin Towers that once dominated the city's skyline. 37-year-old Diana, who worked on the 104th floor, was one of them.

She was a hard-working woman who loved her job and left Aro in no doubt about how loved she was, too, the 22 year old says.

Now, 20 years on, recording artist Aro plans to mark the anniversary by performing at a memorial gig.

"It can be difficult battling it every year, but I know it's better to embrace the day with love and reflection rather than seeing it as a traumatic day," says Aro - whose real name is Amanda O'Connor.

Aro says she often talks to her dad Bill about what her mum was like

She tells Radio 1 Newsbeat that music has a "special significance".

"For my first birthday my mom bought me a piano, she always wanted me to learn and I grew up playing it, at first it was a hobby, but as I got older it turned out to be a career."

She says it helps her feel connected and "keeps her memory alive".

'We reflect every day'

Aro grew up in Manhattan and knows lots of friends who lost parents in the attack.

She says: "People say things like 'time heals' and it does, but sometimes it gets even harder as you get older.

"To other people that haven't had a personal situation with 9/11, it's a day of reflection but we do that every day.

"It's like a piece of your heart that's always missing."

She doesn't have many memories of her mum but says she often speaks about her with her dad, Bill.

"Being a teenage girl, growing up without a mother was hard, and I'm an only child, so it was just me and my dad. But I know that she did really love me.

"Working in the Twin Towers, my parents always knew there could be a risk of something happening, but she never wanted to leave, so I give her credit for being a strong, brave woman who loved her job."

The memorial gig, in Ocean City, Maryland, will be the biggest performance of Aro's career.

"I think it's a very special thing that I'll get to do. I know it will make my mom proud and instead of it being a sad day, I think it'll have a new meaning of strength and overcoming trauma."

She adds: "We take so many days for granted. We always say 'I'll see you later' or 'I'll call you tomorrow', but that's not always the case.

"You may not have tomorrow, so I think it's important we realise that life is precious."

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