An Interesting Portrait Assignment

Haven Hendrik, a 16-year-old junior at Denton Guyer High School, was banned from a pre-med training program at Denton Regional Medical Center after committing an act of compassion that was perceived by the hospital as a privacy violation. After being told that a homeless woman who needed surgery but did not have insurance was going to be discharged to the street, Haven asked her mother if they could do something to help. When Haven's mother called the hospital, she was informed that her daughter had committed a HIPAA violation and would not be allowed back at the hospital. Dallas Morning News columnist Steve Blow picked up the story and wrote an article. This assignment was another reminder why I love being a photojournalist. I get to meet interesting people in interesting places (I had never heard of Corinth, Texas) with interesting stories who I would probably have never met otherwise.