By Ten-year-old Izzy Walker is one of the people featured in our story The Needle in the Family Tree: After Danielle’s Fall. While she has been so helpful in allowing us to understand what it’s like to lose parents to overdose, Izzy is so many more things than what we could share in the story. She worked with the Post-Gazette to show us more about who she is and what’s important to her by photographing her life as an alphabet and writing captions for the photos. Here is a selection of her work.
I was happy and very surprised when my mom was at my 6th birthday party. (Izzy Walker) We recreated the family photo that reminds Izzy of that birthday moment at the same kitchen counter.
Big is Marty Walker, Izzy’s maternal grandfather, whom she lives with in South Park.
Mom Donna is Donna Walker, Izzy’s maternal grandmother, whom she lives with in South Park.
Rooney is the dog in the photo with Izzy.
This is Izzy’s Uncle Martin and his girlfriend, Stephanie.
_________________________________________________________
About Izzy: Post-Gazette photographer Stephanie Strasburg and 10-year-old Izzy Walker at Izzy’s house on Tuesday, June 20, 2018, in South Park. Izzy and Stephanie worked together to come up with an alphabet of things that are important to Izzy and make up who she is. Over the months Stephanie was photographing After Danielle’s Fall, Izzy worked on bringing her alphabet to life using photography. To read more about Izzy and her family, head to The Needle in the Family Tree: After Danielle’s Fall. (Photo courtesy of Walker Family)