Pulitzer Winner

Last night I went down to Delray to the Palm Beach Photographic
Center. This year's Pulitzer Prize winner in feature photography,
Renee Byer from the Sacramento Bee was going to speak and show her
work.

Byer spent eighteen months with Cyndie and her son, Derek. Derek, who
was eleven, was diagnosed with and dying from neuroblastoma. The
family invited Byer to tell their story from beginning to end, with
hopes that it would get the word out about this leading cause of
childhood death.

I asked her how she handled the experience emotionally. Did she have
other photo assignments while working on this one and did it help?
Yes, she said. She also had an understanding husband who is also a
shooter. This led her to tell a story about her husband's birthday.
She was with Derek, and as 7pm approached, she went to Derek to let
him know she had to leave. It was her husband's birthday, she told
him. Derek, who Byer had thought to be a bit out of it at the time,
perked-up, "Birthday! Does he like Jamba Juice?" he asked her.

"Well, yes, he does," she answered.

"Where's my wallet? Where's my wallet?" Derek riffled around himself,
finally finding it. He pulled out a Jamba Juice card, something he had
received from the Make-a-Wish Foundation, or something similar. He
gave it to Byer to give to her husband. A kid basically on his
deathbed still thinking about others. It was impressive and heart
wrenching simultaneously.

I was grateful she shared that story with us.

The other interesting thing she said, was "Never ask a person how many
children they have other than the one that died. Just because a child
is dead, doesn't mean they are not still with their Mother".

It was a very interesting point.