something i should share

[Nomadr]

i am so used to "human"stories, there is always someone looking to make a buck behind someone elses tragedy,occasionally you go deeper than money allows and you come up with something like this,
i think this one really deserved the W.Eugene Smith award,
http://www.darcypadilla.com/thejulieproject/intro.html
scroll from right to left rather than up/down, view the years on the left in the order that they are written,
a truly worthy winner, cheers martyn

[Peter Ryan]

Thanks for sharing this Martyn. Very very moving.

[jiro]

Thanks for sharing, Martyn. This work is very powerful... piercing to the soul.

[smcconsulting]

I am having trouble putting it into words how this story has affected me, it is very gripping! It took me 1.5 hours to get through it, the pictures and story tell a tale that make you think how lucky you really are, and a simple twist of fate this could be anyone's story.

I am going to paste the link on my facebook page and hopefully some of my friends and family will become aware.

[MiniChris]

A lot of power in that story...

[wilgk]

Thankyou Martyn.
The story and the images are very moving.

[rpcrowe]

Martyn...

This comment is not so much about the photography but about the lives of the people in the story who have been impacted by drugs...

I am a recovering alcoholic with 28+ years sobriety under my belt. Whenever I read a story like this, I consider how fortunate I have been to have gained sobriety relatively early in my life. My father died from his alcoholism. Neither of us had a choice about becoming alcoholic but, I had a choice not to die from my drinking and I took it.

I often reflect back to the time when I made a decision not to drink one day, and then the next day and, as the saying goes, "one day at a time". Could I have taken that step if I were hooked on hard drugs? I honestly don't know but, my heart goes out to persons who have not been as fortunate as I have been.

By the way, it is fitting that award was named for W. Eugene Smith. Smith is one of my favorite photojournalists and was chased by his own demons. His coverage of the dark sides of life was both sensitive and excellent.

[Donald]

As many of you know, my work is in child protection.

A story that is oh-so-common for so many people who just aren't given a chance or are not able to battle against the mountain that life has put in front of them.

I think we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Richard for sharing what he has above and for giving those of us who have been fortunate not to have faced these challenges, some insight.

[rob marshall]

I'm not so much moved by it as angry. For the life of me, I can't understand why in the 21st century we can't get on top of these problems and at least start to give people a better life. No matter what colour you are, or what racial type, or whatever country you live in, everyone wants basically the same things - health, reasonable prosperity, education, opportunity, family security, decent jobs, etc.

What was all of the Enlightenment, development of science/technology, and democracy all for if we can't sort out basic problems in society?

Yeah, OK, it's moving, but it's also makes you very angry.

[mythlady]

Thank you, Martyn, for posting that link. I cannot remember when I have been so deeply moved. It's an incredibly powerful piece of work.

[Michhappysnapper]

Wow.