Known for her positive nature and enthusiasm, Sarah Ferguson always tries to see the best out of a situation. And while talking to HELLO!, the mum-of-two revealed how a near-death experience has made her make the most out of life. In 2001 Sarah was on her way to her office in the North Tower of the Twin Towers in New York on 11 September, and said that her life was saved on that tragic day because she was held up by traffic for 20 minutes. She said that as a result: "I take every minute as a blessing, I really do, and I really work hard at it. Because the minute you look too far forward, then you're missing now. The minute you look back,... you can't go back. Hindsight is a wonderful thing."
Sarah Ferguson and her Little Red ragdoll
Sarah had been given an office on the 101st floor of the North Tower for her charity, Chances for Children, which she had created for a young boy called P.J, who had suffered severe burns in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Sarah created her now-famous doll, Little Red, as the charity's mascot, who was found under the rubble following the September 11 bombings, and has since been displayed in the 9/11 memorial museum in New York. Sarah told HELLO!: "From 101 floors Little Red came down in her dress, a little tiny ragdoll, and she was found in the rubble. And CNN filmed it and said 'oh a child's doll," and Larry King said 'no, that's Little Red, and she stands for children's rights all over the world.' From Little Red, I've gone on to build a lot of schools and taught many teachers."
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Sarah at the Street Child anniversary with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank © Tony Ward
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The Duchess was speaking to HELLO! in her role as founder patron of Street Child – another of her charities that is marking its tenth anniversary and celebrating the launch of its Count Me In campaign. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie became global ambassadors of the charity earlier this year. In April, Street Child merged with the international development charity Children in Crisis, which Sarah founded in 1993. The charities help children throughout the world get an education.
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