Officer prepares for her 4th Tower Climb

The fourth annual Tunnel to Towers Tower Climb is Sunday. As many as 1,000 people will participate, climbing 104 floors, taking 2,226 steps, up One World Trade Center.

Port Authority Police Officer Kasha Lewandowski says the climb is about honoring the lives lost on September 11, 2001. She will specifically honor the 37 PAPD officers who died that day.

The day the Twin Towers fell, Lewandowski was in high school. Her love for New York City eventually led her towards a profession that protects it as a Port Authority police officer based at JFK Airport.

She'll be competing in the Tower Climb for the fourth year in a row. She has been training at her gym to build endurance and strength.

Lewandowski knows the climb will be challenging. But knowing her role as an officer makes it that much more important. Her three sisters and her mother and father will be cheering her on.

For all of the 2,226 steps Lewandowski takes to reach the top, they will be in honor of the Port Authority police officers who paid the ultimate price the day the towers fell.