Ten years ago, Ute Lawrence was living a full life. An independent woman with a positive outlook who had launched her first magazine publishing business in 1980—a rare thing for a woman to do in those days—she was publisher of Limited Edition magazines, distributed in 23 markets in Canada and the United States. “Between Christmas and New Year’s, I used to write down my goals for the next year and put it in an envelope,” says Ms. Lawrence. “And the next Christmas, I would open it and tick off all the goals I’d achieved.” None were ever left unticked.

Sept. 3, 1999, changed all that, suddenly and horrifically. Keep reading ...