goldengod

Renée C. Byer recently won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for her feature work on Cyndie French and her son Derek Madsen. Renée documents Derek’s losing battle with neuroblastoma in a series of twenty emotional black and white photographs entitled “A Mother’s Journey.”

I can’t even begin to conceive writing about something like this. Instead, here’s what Renée had to say when asked how she felt about her work:

In a situation like this, your instincts as a person are to try to help. But as a journalist, you have to step back and let things unfold as they naturally would. It can be very, very painful. I was documenting a story that needed to be told, and it was a gift to be allowed to be there. Throughout, I had a bigger vision that — because of what I was witnessing — it would bring hope to other families.

I want to extend my congratulations to Ms. Byer and I want to implore the rest of you to take fifteen minutes out of your day to see this. You won’t regret it, unless you happen to be out of Kleenex.