Our daughter, Talia, has been in the news twice in the last two days—first in the Seattle Times on a follow-up article by Mike Baker about our work here at Talia’s Voice, and today because he and fellow journalist Justin Mayo won the prestigious Selden Ring Award for their work in investigative journalism. We are thrilled for Mike, whose work shone a light in some very dark corners at Swedish Hospital (Cherry Hill). The negligence of the care Swedish did (and did not) provide meant Talia was robbed of her own life, and stolen from us forever. Through Mike’s narrative story about Talia, he drew people into the wider story of the egregious things taking place inside that grim hospital. I feel proud that our spunky, upbeat girl played a role in bringing all of this to light, and that her art appears with the award announcement. But I also feel tremendous gratitude to Mike Baker for his tireless efforts to earn people’s trust, to stay with the truth, to be courageous in the face of the terrible realities he discovered, and also for treating us, Talia’s family, with respect, tenderness, and a willingness to bear witness to what life is like for us post-Talia. He demonstrated integrity, grit, determination, and senstivity in all his dealings with us, and I have the utmost respect for him and his work.

annenberg.usc.edu/news/awards/seattle-times-reporters-win-usc-annenbergs-2018-selden-ring-award