Name
Isaac Feil

Age Group (If you are a caregiver/family member please check Caregiver/Family Member)
Youth: 13 - 20 Years of age

Artist Statement (include type of art, techniques & materials used, what it means to you)
I used paints and permanent markers for this artwork. I made this in my Art History II class for an assignment for Ukrainian Folk Art. I drew the bird from the painting that I based this artwork on paper and then cut it out. I used this as a stencil to trace on. While the original painting is much more detailed and intricate, I decided to still have flowers around the bird, but not to the degree that the original artist had done. I found it very interesting and was especially appropriate for the time of the assignment (which was only 1 or 1 and 1/2 months ago).

Bio (include your age, tumor type and date of diagnosis)
Hi. I'm Isaac, but a lot of people know and call me Ike, and I'm 20 years old. I had a Craniopharyngioma, which was found early in August 2012 (after trying to find the cause of the all-day everyday headaches that I'd been having for at least 6 months and the much more recent double vision) and was removed in the middle of the month. After the removal of the tumor, I was an in-patient for about a month. Both where I had my operation at the Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia (CHOP), which is where I've continued to have the majority of my care since.

I've required a good bit of care and following by doctors due to several conditions and diseases that I have as a result of the operation - Panhypothyroidism, Diabetes Inspitus, Adrenal Insufficiency, Hypothalamic Obesity, Exessive Daytime Sleepiness, etc. This has also caused mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression, though both are much better now.

Unfortunately, for at least the past 6 years, I've been having chronic daily headaches, just like the headaches prior to the discovery of the tumor, though there wasn't any regrowth, fortunately. Although many things have been tried, nothing has been able to make it go away completely.

BUT... even with the headaches and everything else, I'm currently attending community college at Rowan College of Burlington County (RCBC) where I've been becoming active on campus since I started back in-person last fall. This semester, I became part of the Student Government Association (SGA) and am the VP of Student Engagement.