Diana Lewis welcomes her second family to the studio for a candid conversation.

(WXYZ) -   When the world trade center crumbled in 2001, I never dreamed America’s greatest nightmare would lead me to finding my second family led by Katie Mattic, a woman I came to know as my “second mom.”

  All week long on 7-action news, I’m celebrating my retirement by revisiting some of my most memorable stories and the people I’ve met who have changed my life, by becoming my friends forever.

It was my former colleague Val Clark who introduced me to the Mattic family of Detroit back in 2001, Jean, Frances and Vivian had just lost their sister Margaret Mattic, and their mother Katie lost a daughter.

We lost Katie Mattic last year, and I’ll never forget sitting in Church, saying goodbye and thanking her for giving me beautiful sisters.

Margaret Mattic was the youngest of 5 daughters grew up on Detroit’s East side, devoted to church and family.    She moved to New York ten years earlier to pursue career in acting. To make ends  meet Margaret worked as receptionist on 83 floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Margaret’s mother watched in horror as the Twin Towers Collapsed.  Katie Mattic told me, “i remember calling out to the Lord i said J-sus! i said Lord what has happened?”

The sisters rushed to New York, praying they would find Margaret and soon bring her home. But they never saw her again.

When I met this family, I was immediately struck by their faith.  Katie told me, “I don’t have to wonder where my child is.  My child was engulfed.  She probably cried out to the Lord and he extended his hand and said come unto me.  You are worthy.  You are worthy.”

The Mattic family are just good people.  Caring. Loving . Forgiving.  I was stunned when I asked them back in 2001, if they would ever find it in their hearts to forgive the terrorists.  Jean Neal emphasized the family’s spirituality when she told me, it’s certainly going to be hard to forget, but we have to forgive.”

I invited them to our studio to revisit their story because the Mattics are good people, whose story has deeply touched me over the years.

I am blessed to have the Mattic Sisters in my life, and to call them my friends forever.