Leah Willingham, a corps member in Jackson, Mississippi, for the AP/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, chronicled the struggle to care for Lawrence Brooks, who at 112 is now the oldest American World War II veteran.
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The story came about after Deep South correspondent Rebecca Santana received an email about a GoFundMe set up to help Brooks’ daughter care for him. Willingham’s sensitive and respectful reporting style helped establish a level of trust with Vanessa Brooks, who eventually felt comfortable telling her father’s story and she struggles to care for him. The result was a touching tribute to a daughter doing her best in cificult circumstances.
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The story, accompanied by Kathleen Flynn’s intimate photos of Brooks and his daughter at home, received strong online play and was featured prominently in The Atlanta Journal Constitution print edition.