A 9/11 victim’s daughter remembers her father’s final words 25 years later and turns her grief into a mission helping veterans and first responders.
Twenty-five years after her father was killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, Kayla Fallon Smith still remembers the phone call that ended with words she would never forget: “I’m coming home.”
Her father, William Lawrence Fallon Jr., was a 38-year-old IT manager at Cantor Fitzgerald who worked in the World Trade Center. Smith was just 8 years old when he was killed.
Today, Smith has transformed the pain of losing her father into a mission to help others dealing with trauma and grief.
‘I’m Coming Home’: A Father’s Final Words
Smith recalled that her father routinely called home in the mornings before she and her sister went to school.
Fallon often arrived at work early so he could leave earlier in the afternoon and take his daughter to dancing school. Those ordinary family moments became precious memories after the attacks.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Smith spoke with her father as usual.
Later that morning, after the first World Trade Center tower had been struck, Fallon called again. This time, Smith’s mother answered.
“He said something to the degree of, ‘I’m getting out, I’m coming home,'” Smith recalled.
Her mother asked what he meant. Fallon told her to turn on the news before the call ended.
The family never heard from him again.
A 9/11 Loss That Never Truly Goes Away
Smith said those final words have stayed with her for a quarter-century.
She also rejected the idea that time simply heals the wounds left by a devastating loss.
“Every year, grief is different,” Smith said, explaining that the pain does not simply disappear with the passing years.
For Smith, remembering her father has meant more than revisiting the tragedy. It has also meant finding ways to preserve his memory while helping people facing their own struggles.
From Childhood Grief to Mental Health Mission
As Smith grew older, she pursued a career as a licensed mental health counselor.
During her graduate studies, she discovered equine-assisted therapy, a form of counseling that incorporates interactions with horses. The experience gave her an idea for a program she wished she had known about while growing up.
In 2019, Smith founded Trails of Purpose, a nonprofit that provides free mental health counseling and equine-assisted therapy to military members, veterans, first responders and their families.
The organization has since provided about 30,000 hours of free counseling and equine-assisted therapy, according to Fox News.
Horses Become Part of Her Healing Mission
Smith said horses can offer a form of connection when people struggle to put their emotions into words.
She described creating the kind of safe environment she believes she needed during her own childhood.
The goal is to give people a place where they can step away from the pressure and emotional weight they carry and simply feel supported.
For Smith, that mission has become part of her father’s enduring legacy.
Keeping Her Father’s Memory Alive
Fallon’s name is among those engraved at the National September 11 Memorial in New York.
For Smith, however, remembering her father goes beyond a name on a memorial.
She continues to share his story while encouraging younger generations to understand the human impact of September 11.
Smith said she hopes people can remember the sense of unity and compassion that emerged in the days immediately following the attacks.
“If we can remember the feeling that we had on September 12th,” she said, that would be her biggest point of education for the next generation.
25 Years Later, Grief Becomes a Legacy
Smith’s story reflects the lasting impact September 11 continues to have on families who lost loved ones.
Her father went to work that morning expecting to return home. Instead, his final words became a permanent part of his daughter’s memory.
Twenty-five years later, Smith has built something lasting from that loss — a nonprofit dedicated to helping others navigate trauma, grief and mental health challenges.
Her work ensures that her father’s legacy is not defined only by how he died, but also by the lives his daughter is helping after his death.
Also read: Virginia School District Faces 9/11 Guide Backlash
