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“Partnership of Photojournalist and Writer”
– Melissa Lyttle
“Our Emotional Journey—Traveled Together”
– Lane DeGregory
See more of Lyttle’s work in the multimedia presentation for “The Girl in the Window.”On the half-hour drive south to horse therapy, Dani, 9, stares out the window while her brother Willie, 10, tries to provoke a giggle by tickling her. Willie was accustomed to living as an only child, with his four older brothers already out of the house, but his selflessness and closeness in age to Dani has led them to develop a unique brother-sister bond.
I loved watching the relationship between Dani and her new brother Willie develop and strengthen as we got deeper into their story. While we were in the car that afternoon, I noticed how low the light was getting in the sky and how when the kids looked west, toward that sunset, the light washed over them and lit up their faces. I love that on the surface this photo may look like a typical brother-sister relationship, with one antagonizing the other in the backseat of a car on a long drive. In reality, it’s anything but. For me, Willie’s touch, their smiles, and the light emanating from both of them imbued a simple gesture with a deeper meaning.
On the half hour drive south to horse therapy, Dani stares out of the window of her family's SUV while her brother Willie, 10, tries to provoke a giggle through tickling her. Willie was used to living like an only child, with his four older brothers already out of the house, but his selflessness and their closeness in age has led them to develop a unique brother-sister bond
Two of Bernie Lierow's favorite things are giving his daughter Dani, 9, kisses and hugs, even if she can't give them back
When Dani was removed from her biological mom's house at the age of 7, she was still wearing a diaper and being bottle fed. Part of the therapy she receives involves learning how to perform simple daily tasks like scooping food up with a spook and using a fork to stab at some of her favorite foods: green beans and tater tots. She has also graduated to eating solid foods
No one has any way of telling what lies behind Dani's big brown eyes and vacant stare
While watching an educational cartoon video, Dani engages in repetitive motions like batting at a string of plastic beads that she swings from her toes
One of the first things Dani's biological mom Michelle Crockett did when moving into her new mobile home in Plant City was hang a photocopied picture of Dani on the wall
Dani has a new family now and a new chance at life thanks to her brother Willie, 10, and parents Diane and Bernie Lierow
Dani sinks into the wall behind her, intently studying what's in front of her
For the first seven years of her life, Danielle never saw the sun, felt the wind, or tasted solid food. She was kept in a closet in a Plant City apartment, cloistered in darkness, left in a dirty diaper, fed only with a bottle
When Dani was cooped up in her biological mom's house, a small, dirty pane of glass in her tiny, dingy bedroom was her only window
In the blink of an eye, Dani can switch from happily building sand castles at the beach to running around and throwing a violent fit that her parents need to calm her down from. Her moods are unpredictable and unexplainable, and her parents Bernie and Diane just try to calm Dani down with a reassuring voice, letting he know that she is safe and everything is ok