OUR STORY

The brain cancer monster can attack the cells that give you the ability to read, write, speak, and think. My father, Steve Stitzel, was a teacher who spent most of his retirement years writing on his computer at his cabin in Northern Michigan, on a ranch in Texas, at his camper in Tennessee, and on his deck in the hills of Athens County in Ohio. Now unable to spend his last days doing what he loves, he finds peace with paints on canvas. His art isn't meant to be sold as original fine art pieces. Instead, we see it as art that can be digitally manipulated in the consumer goods I've designed for our collection, The STITZ Brain Cancer Monster. With a simple reflection of an image, the monster appeared provoking our first collaborative series.

Diagnosed with a grade 4, glioblastoma brain tumor in April 2024, my brother and my 77-year-old dad likely has 5 to 11 months to live. He underwent radiation at Ohio Health Riverside Hospital for 4 weeks which was fortunately five minutes away from where I live in Columbus, Ohio. He recently returned to Ohio after spending three years in Tennessee near my brother Ian, and his family, wife Jenna, and daughters Willa (8) and Brinley (4). Prior to his cancer diagnosis, I was anxious to start a new life back at the beach following the rough years during my divorce and Covid. I had returned to Ohio after spending six years in Los Angeles pursuing my career. Now no longer interested in the corporate or Hollywood life, I seek comfort on my computer. I work remotely for the bold hair color brand, Splat, as a packaging designer and often utilize paint splat graphics in my design work.

The idea to place my dad's art into consumer goods that can be printed, assembled, and shipped upon order gave us both a way to work together on a project that might turn into a little business. Now all the time that I have had to give up working to take care of him can give him a way to help me be compensated. Mostly, I just want him to be able to enjoy his dying days as I prepare to move to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands where my boyfriend, a Nurse Practitioner and Nephrologist, has been offered a job to help run one of the only Kidney centers on the islands for dialysis. As creative and competitive people, neither my dad nor I understood much about taking care of people. This experience has improved our relationship and hopefully will allow me to move on with my life with no regrets as he feels he lived his life to the fullest.