9/11 note

Randy Scott was on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the plane hit. His three daughters and his wife assumed he'd died instantly, but a year ago, they received a note Randy wrote that he'd let fly from the office window after the attack. The note is being touted by the museum curator as one of the most powerful 9/11 mementos to be included in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum -- the seven words Randy wrote convey such a succinct, sad, and touching message. And now, after 10 years of not knowing how Randy died, his family has an answer. The note read:

"84th floor, West Office, 12 people trapped."

The words rocked everything for Randy's wife, Denise, who told the Stamford Advocate that she'd hoped her husband hadn't suffered before he died -- now she knows he did.

The NYC forensics team found out the note was from Randy when they analyzed a speck of blood soaked into the paper. Denise didn't need the DNA report -- she recognized her husband's handwriting right away. She says the note changes everything, and I think I understand where she's coming from.

Is finding out that your loved one suffered an agonizing death better than living under the assumption that they were killed instantly and painlessly? Does a certain peace come from knowledge, or is ignorance, in some cases, really, truly bliss?

I don't know.

But I do know that how someone dies shouldn't outshine how they lived; I'm sure no one knows that better than the Scott family, and every family that lost a loved one 11 years ago today. Our thoughts are with them.

So -- would finding out the truth about how your loved one died make you feel better or worse?