Every year, over 4,000 children are diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor. A brain tumor is a cell growth that occurs in or around the brain, causing extra pressure in this closed space.
Due to their location, certain pediatric brain tumors and the treatments needed for them can lead to severe long-term effects on intellectual and neurological function and can potentially lead to death.
Many children who develop these tumors are not expected to survive for long, let alone experience any form of normalcy in their lives.
Paige Severson, however, is now a professional artist in Rapid City, South Dakota, who has exceeded expectations.
For Paige, hospital visits started at the age of two. Her neck wouldn’t stop hurting, and Paige’s parents, Tammy and Clayton Severson, knew something was wrong. After a trip to the hospital, a C.T. scan revealed an alarming image for any parent. A tumor had developed in Paige’s brain.
“It was devastating,” Tammy said.
There is a lot of extra financial burden, emotional stress and uncertainty involved for parents supporting a child with a disability. Tammy and Clayton were scared. They had no idea what they were going to do or what to expect going forward.
That same day, Paige was flown to the University of Minnesota Medical Center from Rapid City, where she and her mother would remain for nearly two weeks until Paige was scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor. The surgeons removed all that they could, but some of the cystic cells remained.
“We left there having to give a two-year-old a lot of medications,” Tammy said. “It was a challenge.”
Although they didn’t know it yet, going to Minneapolis would become a routine commute for them for the next 15 years. Paige underwent multiple surgeries and had an aneurysm that led to some strokes. The aneurysm happened when Paige was in her late teens, most likely the result of a previous treatment.
There were many ups and downs, and it grew tiresome and disappointing for Paige and her family after receiving the wrong news year after year.
“It scared me to death,” Paige said.
Her family was uncertain whether the hospital visits would ever stop. Dread consumed Paige each time she had to make the long, eight-hour drive to the medical center, leaving behind her dog, Sadie.
But at twenty years old, Paige’s doctors decided to try an off-label treatment for her tumor. She was required to take a shot every week for about a year. Paige’s family knew from experience that they were going to have to keep an eye on it – this wasn’t the first time they’d tried a new treatment for their daughter. But on their last visit to Minneapolis, they were finally given the news they had been desperately awaiting for 18 years.
The doctors told Paige that there was finally no need for her to return. She had been stable for a year, which meant the off-label treatment was a success.
Although the Seversons were relieved that Paige had received the all-clear from her doctors, they grew uncertain about what would come next after nearly two decades of the same routine.
“It was wonderful and yet frightening to give up that link to the University of Minnesota,” Tammy said.
But Paige was ready to give that link up. She never wanted to return to Minneapolis again.
“I’m glad I’m not there anymore. I hate being in the hospital,” Paige said.
Fortunately, over the last decade, her wish was granted. During that time, Paige began to discover her new, more certain life.
Since her last visit to Minneapolis, Paige has received support from Black Hills Works, an organization that supports adults with disabilities. She initially received brain injury support from that organization, and the staff there connected her with the Suzie Cappa Art Center, also part of Black Hills Works. The Suzie Cappa Art Center allows Black Hills Works participants like Paige to find genuine careers in the arts rather than just hobbies.
“Black Hills Works does have things for those who just want to do something fun on a random day,” said Haley Friedt, the studio manager at the Suzie Cappa Art Center. “Suzie Cappa Art Center is more for people who want to grow their skills as a professional artist.”
The Suzie Cappa Art Center is an incredibly unique place, with a palpable sense of community, promoting inclusivity, creativity and connection to Rapid City and the surrounding area.
When walking into the art center, visitors are greeted by the artists working at their stations, the homemade art pieces are being displayed and the big, open gallery floods natural light into your right.
“I can’t tell you how many times people come in and just say, ‘This is my happy place. This is where I come when I need a break from having a bad day,’” Haley said.
The Suzie Cappa Art Gallery was founded in 2001 and currently hosts 29 artists – 11 of whom work full-time. The artists create art ranging from paintings to ceramics and nearly everything in between.
“I think it’s just a really good example that anybody, of any ability, can create,” Haley said.
And Paige definitely can.
Realizing her talent, Paige has worked as a commissioned artist at the Suzie Cappa Art Center for around eight years now. Specializing in sewing, she particularly enjoys creating and selling “Mug Rugs,” also known as coasters, with unique, intricate details and bright colors.
“I guess I’ve always wanted to be a business person myself,” Paige said.
To start her process, she picks out which fabric she wants to use, cutting it up into small pieces, placing the pieces in an abstract way and then sewing them into one big piece of fabric. Once Paige does this, she then works diligently to sew serpentine designs across the entire front fabric collage.
Paige then cuts her creation into circles, placing the design on top of layers of fabric and a base layer to create the thickness she wants. After sewing everything together, she gives it a final touch with her favorite designs. She loves mushrooms, foxes and owls, which are also created using bright, patterned fabric that she chooses specifically to match the color theme of each coaster.
“I just see it, and I just visualize it and then I’m doing it as I go,” Paige said.
This year, Paige was selected as Suzie Cappa’s Artist of the Year, an award that was originally given to Suzie Cappa in 2002, the namesake of the art center, five years after her passing. Suzie was an incredible artist who also had a disability. Suzie’s mom and family wanted to provide a supportive and inspiring place for other artists with disabilities to create and sell their art.
The award has been given out every year since then to award an artist who has shown progress in skill, talent and willingness to consider new techniques.
What also goes into consideration is work ethic – arriving at work on time, encouraging colleagues and setting a good example for the other artists that work there.
“I was scared, and I was excited, and I was kind of freaking out,” Paige said.
Paige earned the Golden Paintbrush, a trophy that the Artist of the Year gets for the entire year. When Paige was awarded this, it was a complete surprise to her. The last Artist of the Year, Colleen, was reluctant to give the paintbrush up, but Paige assured her friend that she would share.
Sewing comes naturally to Paige, despite the fact that she didn’t know how to use a sewing machine until she started working at The Sewing Center in Rapid City, which was around the same time she started working at the Suzie Cappa Art Center. Paige took a few sewing classes at The Sewing Center, became immersed in threads and fabrics and then found her stride at the Suzie Cappa Art Center.
“She just really took a liking to it, which is my favorite thing to see,” Haley said. “It’s cool when you finally see [the artists] get to the point where they’ve found the medium that works for them.”
Paige’s talent is impressive to many, but what stands out to everyone who has met Paige is her compassion.
“One thing that I absolutely love about Paige, and that I will tell everybody, is she’s so genuinely thoughtful and kind,” Haley said. “If something’s going on in your life, a birthday, a celebratory thing, if something sad is happening, whatever it is, Paige is aware, and she ensures that you’re thought of.”
Paige’s thoughtfulness is clearly seen in her work as well. Paige is continually thinking about who would enjoy the coaster she is making.
She lights up when she sees a fabric that speaks to her by being especially sparkly or bright. A lightbulb appears above her head when she has an idea for her work, often saying how pretty something looks or how perfect it is.
Inspiration comes easily for Paige; the colors of fabrics she gets to choose from speak to her in ways only an artist can understand. This helps her avoid artists’ block, but she also has another technique that helps her get inspiration and keep her focused.
“I like to listen to [music] here because it helps me concentrate,” Paige said.
She often listens to “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, thumping her foot to the beat while creating her art. Anyone who knows Paige knows that she embodies the definition of optimism. At her workstation in the art center, upbeat pop music can often be heard emanating from her headphones.
Paige says she listens to “Best Day of My Life” at least 50 times a day. It’s also the first thing she hears when she wakes up in the morning. What she loves about that song is that her friend Tanner listens to it too.
Paige met Tanner in middle school, and they both attended the 19-21 program, a program that helped individuals with disabilities learn more life skills after high school. Tanner was the one who got Paige through the hard times when she was growing up and having to go to Minneapolis. Tanner doesn’t work at the Suzie Cappa Art Center, but he is creative, just like Paige.
When Paige and Tanner aren’t creating art, they are often shopping or going to Red Lobster. They also love to watch the movies “Indiana Jones”, “Top Gun” and “Minions” and just enjoy each other’s company.
Despite all that Paige went through, she remains determined to retain a positive outlook on life. She loves her family, her friends and her work at the Suzie Cappa Art Center.
Sewing makes Paige feel happy. She loves creating new coaster designs that she can sell to others who share her love for color, mushrooms, and sparkles just as much as she does. She is always working hard and taking on a challenge that might have made other people just give up and do it differently. She has had it harder than most anyone can even imagine, yet no one would ever know because of her optimism on a day-to-day basis.
“She has one of the strongest senses of self that I’ve ever experienced with a human being, like, ever.” Haley said.
Paige has become a teacher to many on how to be kind and embrace life, which she believes is the best way to live.
