>> to cindy mcginty, who doesn't know the word defeat. if he thinks that about me, then i certainly can put one foot in front of the other and keep going every day. it really does inspire me. >> reporter: a lasting mark of the legendary senator, hundreds of families came to know as simply ted k. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, bloomfield, connecticut. >>> and one final note. it wasn't only voters that got the senator's attention. he was often a reading buddy to an 8-year-old washington, d.c. girl. while renee says the senator gave her an autographed book for her birthday. and she sent him get well cards when he got sick. her teacher said kennedy was like a gentle giant. >>> coming up next, flu fears. some schools aren't waiting until fall for a spike in swine flu. >>> and football fansinal fly see what michael vick can do after two years away from the see what michael vick can do after two years away from the field. i'm from ille, north carolina, ...and i smoked for 29 years. the one thing about smoking - is it dominates your life, and it domin

. >> reporter: a day after the 9/11 attacks, cindy mcginty thought she was on the verge of a nervousreakdown. >> i honestly felt like a zombie, for lack of a better word. i could barely stand up. >> reporter: her husband mike had been killed inside the trade center. she was home in massachusetts, with the couple's boys, ages 7 and 8. >> my phone rang, and there was this big, booming voice on it. >> reporter: it was senator kennedy, calling to express his condolences. given his own history, he had tragic events.rothers to very he lost many members of his own family. i just thought, it must have brought back memories for him. >> reporter: it was a difficult call he would make 176 more times, calling to offer his help to each of the massachusetts families. >> and i needed his help immediately. >> reporter: cindy's husband mi served 12 years in the navy, but the navy wouldn't send and honor guard to his funeral because she couldn't find his discharge papers. >> i couldn't handle this. i thought, senator kennedy said to call. i have a problem, i'm going to take him up on his offer. >> rep

>> reporter: cindy mcginty's husband, mike, died in the world trade center that day. she says kennedy's support meant everything. >> he was my guardian angel, and actually, what he did for me was show me how to put one foot in front of the other after september 11. >> couric: and while ted kennedy was one of 23 senators to vote against authorizing the war in iraq, he never forgot the men and women who are fighting it. >> this is our son, john, who was killed in iraq in october of 2003. >> john called us the week before he was killed and actually was whispering in the phone. so he wouldn't be overheard that they were desperate for any kind of armor. >> lifelong republicans joined forces with their senior senator to provide better uniforms and equipment to protect the troops. >> the parents said, "if you can do anything to make sure that other soldiers who are over there are not put in the kind of danger that my son was put in and lost, that would be the best thing that we could ever think of in terms of our son." >> i just hope senator kennedy will get credit for the t

then he wrote to cindy mcginty, who doesn't know the word defeat. if he thinks that about me, then i certainly can put one foot in going every day.er and keep it really does inspire me. >> reporter: a lasting mark of the legendary senator. hundfdsam o filies came to know as simply ted k. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, bloomfield, connecticut. >> it looks like the east coast will dodge the bullet with tropical storm danny. danny is no longer expected to make landfall after its winds dropped to 45 miles an hour. but a tropical storm watch is in effect for the outer banks of north carolina and forecasters say danny could still bring heavy rain and dangerous surf tomorrow as far north as maine. so there you go. now for the rest of your friday forecast. showers and thunderstorms from louisiana to florida. and up to the northeast. thunderstorms and heavy rain in the upper midwest with flash flood warnings in chicago. a frost advisory in northern maine where morning temperatures could dip to the 30s. i'm sorry, vinita got me distracted. your fault. >> my fat. 7