When Beauty Emerges from Illness: Staten Island Teen Cancer Survivor Inspires with Art, Says ‘I Don’t Want to Waste Time in My Life’

Staten Island, New York – Isabella Bardon, an 18-year-old Graniteville resident and cancer survivor, does not take her time lightly and seizes every opportunity – traveling, pursuing her passion for fashion and soaking up the present.

“I think people take their time for granted. I’ve gotten depressed where I’ve sat at home for months and been depressed and resentful, but I could do so much more than that,” Bardon said. “I think after the whole experience I just feel like I don’t want to waste any time in my life. I like taking risks.”

Her passion for life and hobbies grew stronger when in 2019, at the age of 13, she was diagnosed with leukemia, the most common cancer in children and adolescents.

She was born in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, but moved to Graniteville, Staten Island, when she was in high school, but continued her education and treatment in Brooklyn.

Navigating Treatment: Acceptance and Growth

Bardon immediately began intensive chemotherapy at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, the only pediatric oncology hospital in the borough; Staten Island has since opened its own $50 million pediatric oncology center at Staten Island University Hospital.

She described her hospital treatment as smooth, noting that doctors made sure she felt listened to at all times. If she felt uncomfortable, they asked her directly, rather than her parents.

“I feel like as kids, they’re often like, ‘Oh, we have to ask our parents if this hurts,’ but you should ask the child because they’re the one feeling it. I felt like I was the priority because everything was always going according to my feelings and my comfort level,” she shared.

She spent a month in the hospital, during which she experienced hair loss and other side effects from the medications.

“I know I felt like my life was falling apart. And something I always struggled with was this constant feeling like I could never relax,” she shared. “Teenagers are usually very private and want their privacy, and I felt like everyone was looking at me. Everyone was looking at my body every day. And everyone was looking at my blood.”

After an initial month in the hospital, she had two-week hospitalizations every few months, for a total of six months of intensive chemotherapy. She said she had no more hospital stays.

“Honestly, I think my hobbies have become stronger and more visible in my life because of my diagnosis. I started doing makeup when I was 13 because, you know, my eyebrows were thinning from the chemo, so I wanted to look more put together,” she said.

Bardon then began maintenance therapy, a milder chemotherapy regimen that helps keep the leukemia in remission. It lasted until she was 16. She explained that during this period, which included routine blood tests and medication, her body felt stronger, allowing her to continue with her daily life under supervision.

“I ended up physically going to school when they opened up after COVID, and honestly, I was fine. I was still hanging out with my friends. I still had a really cool and average teenage life,” she recalls.

She admitted that it was a very difficult experience for both her and her family.

“I feel like on the one hand no one will ever understand me and I have to accept that, but on the other hand they supported me the best they could… the best they could,” she said.

Hobbies, passions and personal development

During quarantine, she spent a lot of time shopping online and then worked with her grandmother and mother to repurpose clothes, making them more unique by adding materials or reworking shirts. She also started making jewelry, like necklaces, which her friends would buy from time to time, but she mostly made for herself.

“As I went through transitions and figured out what I liked, I always focused on how I liked to dress and what the latest fashion trends were,” she said.

She recently returned from a trip to Italy after graduating from high school this summer. She is currently taking a year off to work and travel more, and plans to study fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology next year.

Having traveled to nearly half of the U.S. with her family, she said that such experiences broaden her fashion horizons by introducing her to unique styles and techniques of dressing and presenting.

“Italy was amazing. I loved it there. I’m thinking about studying abroad. I’ve wanted to travel the world since I was a little girl,” Bardon said. “I love different cultures. I love learning languages. I’m also an adventurous eater, so I love trying different foods.”

While she loves to travel, the former Brooklyn resident noted that she doesn’t use a car to get around – even though Staten Island is less accessible public transportation compared to Brooklyn.

“I just feel like you need a car here. I can’t drive, which I think is very normal for people my age, especially in New York, because we have public transportation everywhere. (On Staten Island) the buses are so late. I never rely on public transportation. But I like the quiet here,” she said.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to honoring children and survivors of childhood cancer. This period focuses on raising awareness and supporting further research and treatment for this disease.

Thinking about her diagnosis, Bardon says she is ready to move forward.

“I try not to let it really define my life. I do other things now. I’ve moved on and I try not to dwell on it because I think I’m wasting my time thinking about the past because it’s something I’ll never be able to change,” she said. “I just move on and just get on with my life because that’s all I can really do.”