Editorial: Photo Essay / Story (PROFESSIONAL) - HONORABLE MENTION
Jason & Rachel

Photo © Kirsten Leah Bitzer
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Jason was 19 years old and one month into his first deployment in Afghanistan when he lost both legs above the knee, his right arm above the elbow and two fingers of his left hand in an IED explosion. Jason and Rachel had dated in middle school, but had lost touch until they reconnected on Facebook after Jason's accident. Rachel flew to San Diego to visit Jason where he was recovering, and within months moved there to be Jason’s full-time caretaker. Jason and Rachel eloped in 2014 and returned to Colorado, but after trying to naturally conceive for more than a year, they learned that IVF was likely their only option. I began documenting their journey shortly after they started the IVF process, in the summer of 2015. At the time the VA did not cover the procedure, meaning Jason and Rachel would be responsible for the nearly $25,000 out-of-pocket costs for IVF, success not guaranteed; however, donations and contributions from the community, Conceptions Reproductive Clinic and local pharmacies cut Jason and Rachel's expenses significantly. In October 2016, less than a year after beginning IVF, Rachel gave birth to twins via c-section: Marina (named after the Marines) and Jason Jr.
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Jason was 19 years old and one month into his first deployment in Afghanistan when he lost both legs above the knee, his right arm above the elbow and two fingers of his left hand in an IED explosion. Jason and Rachel had dated in middle school, but had lost touch until they reconnected on Facebook after Jason's accident. Rachel flew to San Diego to visit Jason where he was recovering, and within months moved there to be Jason’s full-time caretaker. Jason and Rachel eloped in 2014 and returned to Colorado, but after trying to naturally conceive for more than a year, they learned that IVF was likely their only option. I began documenting their journey shortly after they started the IVF process, in the summer of 2015. At the time the VA did not cover the procedure, meaning Jason and Rachel would be responsible for the nearly $25,000 out-of-pocket costs for IVF, success not guaranteed; however, donations and contributions from the community, Conceptions Reproductive Clinic and local pharmacies cut Jason and Rachel's expenses significantly. In October 2016, less than a year after beginning IVF, Rachel gave birth to twins via c-section: Marina (named after the Marines) and Jason Jr.
About author:
Kirsten Leah Bitzer is a freelance photographer based in Denver, Colorado. She is drawn to and passionate about projects that emphasize the human condition of marginalized groups and individuals such as abuse victims, veterans, the LGBTQI community and women's rights in developing countries. Kirsten's first photo story, Jason & Rachel, was a project she initially pursued in her first year of journalism school, after being instructed to find a semester-long project in her Intro to Photojournalism class. Kirsten followed Jason and Rachel through their IVF journey for nearly two years before the story was published in the New York Times Lens Blog and internationally in Stern. After leaving school to pursue long-term photo projects full-time, Kirsten spent seven months in India and Nepal documenting human rights issues, including women and child trafficking, destitute earthquake victims, acid attack victims and the lives and criminalization of members of the LGBTQI community. In 2017 Kirsten was selected for the New York Portfolio Review, one of 11 emerging photographers to be featured at Photoville and a student of the Eddie Adams Workshop XXX. Kirsten also assisted for two years (2015-2017) on the documentary film, Hondros, about the late photojournalist Chris Hondros, which was produced by Jake Gyllenhaal and premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2017.BACK TO GALLERY