On the morning of September 11, 2001, Jaime Amoroso kissed her husband goodbye. Christopher Charles Amoroso, a Port Authority Police Officer, was heading to work at the World Trade Center. It was, as Jaime recalls, “a beautiful day.” She remembers cautioning him to be careful, to which he smiled and replied, “What’s going to happen?”

Hours later, the world changed forever.

As chaos consumed lower Manhattan, Christopher was captured in a photograph taken by Daily News photographer Todd Maisel. The image showed him helping a distressed woman away from the burning towers, his arm steadying her as smoke and debris filled the air. It was the last picture Jaime would ever see of her husband alive. Moments later, he went back into the building. He never came out.

For two decades, Jaime clung to that photo—both a comfort and a torment. She knew her husband had saved at least one life, yet she never knew the woman’s name. Sometimes she wondered if the woman had even survived. “As time went on,” Jaime admitted, “I started to think maybe he didn’t save her, or get her far enough.”

Photographer Todd Maisel carried the same burden. Though his camera had frozen that brief, heroic moment, he never knew what became of the woman in the frame. For years, both he and Jaime lived with unanswered questions.

Then, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the mystery was finally solved. A comment appeared on social media, identifying the woman as Suman Dhamija, a survivor who had been working in the South Tower that morning.

Suman’s son wrote: “That woman Officer Amoroso is seen helping in this photo is my mother. She has severe asthma. After running down the stairs and into the smoke, she couldn’t breathe. Officer Amoroso helped lift her up and walk away from the towers. This photo was taken before the second tower collapsed.”

For Jaime, the revelation was overwhelming. “I can’t believe she’s alive. I can’t believe she has the same face,” she said through tears. “She was the last person with him. He went in with a purpose, to save as many people as possible. And now, I finally get to hear somebody say it.”

Suman, who now lives in India, still remembers Christopher’s words that day: “Ma’am, relax. We are here to help.” She says if not for him, she would not have survived. “Every September 11, my family lights candles. We celebrate my second birth because of him,” she explained.

Two decades later, Jaime and Suman finally met—through a video call that bridged oceans and years of grief. Jaime told her: “If I walked past you on the street, I would have known who you were because I’ve looked at that picture so many times. I’m glad he did his job that day, so you could be with your family.”

Suman’s voice broke as she replied: “Tell her she had such a wonderful husband, and that I’m alive because of him.”

Their conversation was tender, filled with tears, questions, and gratitude. Jaime asked if Christopher had seemed scared. Suman shook her head. “He wasn’t scared. But I was.”

For Jaime, the call brought long-awaited closure. For Suman, it brought the chance to finally say thank you. Out of tragedy, a new bond was formed—a widow and a survivor, forever connected by one man’s courage.

Jaime now looks to the future. One day, she plans for her daughter—the child she and Christopher shared—to meet Suman in person. Together, they will create new memories out of the shadow of an old photograph.

“Life goes on,” Jaime said softly. “The chapter’s closed, I guess. I’m looking forward to starting new things. It’s time.”