Mercy Bands bring solace to 9-11 mourners

Posted 6:46PM on Monday 2nd September 2002 ( 22 years ago )

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - Tracy Faust of Boone, Iowa, never thought a person she will never meet could touch her life in such a profound way. ``I will never know Marjorie Salamone,'' Faust said, ``but I can look at my wrist and think of how precious life truly is.'' Faust wears a ``Mercy Band,'' which bears the name of Marjorie Champion Salamone, a victim of the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon. The bands are plain silver bracelets that display the names of victims from the Sept. 11 devastation in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Through this band, Faust has made an extraordinary connection she is now good friends with Marjorie's mother, Lillian Champion of Pine Mountain, Ga. ``This band and God are the reasons I have discovered wonderful people that I wouldn't have otherwise,'' Faust said. She is among thousands of people who over the past year have acquired the bands, which were created in the spirit of the P.O.W./M.I.A. bracelets popular during the Vietnam War. Lenya Heitzig, who is married to the pastor at Calvary Chapel, Albuquerque's largest church, founded the Mercy Band organization after the attacks. ``When I first came up with the idea, I wanted to help others grieve and bring some comfort to the families,'' she said. ``I had no idea people would develop relationships from them.'' And develop a relationship, Faust and Champion did. After initially hearing about the bands on her hometown Christian radio station, Faust ordered hers online. When it arrived, she wanted to know more about the person whose name was engraved. She found Marjorie's biography on legacy.com, a Web site dedicated to preserving the memories of the dead. She signed the guest book, stating that she had received a band with Marjorie's name on it. ``I found out that she had red hair and worked in the Pentagon,'' Faust said. ``Seeing her face made it more real. She was no longer just a name; she was a person.'' Much to her surprise, she quickly received e-mails from Marjorie's mother, Lillian. Champion wrote to Faust that Marjorie was a loving, intelligent person who valued education and grew up on their family dairy farm. She also wrote that Marjorie was married with two daughters and is deeply missed. Faust wrote back that she, too, has two daughters and wanted to learn more about Marjorie and give her condolences. ``Out of all of this, a great friendship has developed between Lillian and myself,'' she said. ``Lillian and I correspond weekly over e-mail.'' ``Just the other day, Lillian sent me a bag of pecans from her tree in Georgia,'' Faust said. ``She's a true friend.'' Champion wrote to a reporter, ``Tracy has shared with me about her family, her work, her faith, and her prayers on our behalf. ... I have enjoyed the correspondence very much.'' Heitzig, ``Miss Mercy Band,'' as she calls herself, originally planned to make one band for every victim at a time when the victims' death toll loomed at 6,000, but inquiries suggested the organization make 60,000. ``The bands have made people storytellers,'' Heitzig said. ``I see someone with a band and ask, 'Who do you have?' and the tales begin. Every band has a history.'' Approximately 52,000 bands have been sold, she said. The bands cost $20 $25 if a specific name is requested. Any money left after production and shipping was supposed to go to help the family members of victims who may have been overlooked, but because the organization hasn't sold all the bands, that probably won't happen, Heitzig said. Family members of Sept. 11 victims got their bands for free and will continue to do so until the project ends. ``I said I didn't want to do this all my life,'' Heitzig said. ``I was just looking for something to help people cope right now, in this time.'' After the first anniversary of the attacks, Heitzig said she will hand what's left of the Mercy Band products over to the relief fund of Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond brokerage firm that lost 658 of its nearly 1,000 employees in the World Trade Center attack. As for Heitzig's band which bears the name of Alfred Marchand, the only known person from New Mexico killed during the attacks Heitzig said she feels naked if she isn't wearing it. ``It's as precious to me as my wedding band,'' she said. ``I only take it off when I go running and even then I feel guilty for not having it on.'' While she won't ever meet Marjorie in person, Faust said she does thank God for bringing the next best thing into her life Lillian. ``Even now Marjorie is living on through her family and friends,'' Faust said, ``Thank God for this piece of silver on my wrist.'' Faust recently sent Champion pictures of herself and family. She said she is going to Georgia later this year for a National Youth Conference and hopes to meet Lillian in person. ``I want to hug her,'' she said. ``I wear (my band) every day and would love to say to Lillian, 'God bless you.'''

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/9/190601