A 10-year-old boy from New York City who lost his father in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and is going blind because of posttraumatic stress disorder will visit Japan to participate in an international exchange.
Ashinaga, a nonprofit Japanese organization supporting children who lose their parents in accidents or through illness, will host the 10-day international exchange from Aug. 3.
The father of Walter Matuza, a fourth grader, worked as an analyst for a financial institution located on the 92nd floor of the North tower of the World Trade Center.
Shortly after the terror attacks, he called his wife, Denise, to say airplanes had smashed into the twin buildings and that he would evacuate and return home.