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| Ivan Selling Mung Bean Cookies - Oil on Canvas. 30" x 24" Rachel Mindrup. 2018 |
Ivan Ardian was diagnosed with NF1 at the age of 14. Living a life with an NF disorder in Yogyakarta, Indonesia is not easy. Because of the hardship it brings it has strengthened him mentally as their is the belief that NF is a test from God that must be lived and endured. Ivan has had psychological pressures from the environment because he looks "different". People give him strange stares and they bully him. The call him "Gotri" which is Javanese for "steel balls or buckshot". He does not get the same opportunity as those without the disorder. Ivan has one large tumor on the side of his left hip and one on the left side of the back of his head which causes severe headaches.
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| Prep sketch for painting |
But all that adversity makes Ivan train harder and makes him stronger as he faces the challenges. He does not seek medical treatment because he cannot afford it. NF makes it difficult for him to get a job. He is married with 2 children, Mutia and Mizan. Fortunately his wife loves and accepts him even though he has no permanent job. As a husband Ivan feels he has to fight, to do everything he can to earn money for his family. He has multiple jobs from: driving city tour car for tourists, minor trouble shooting of restaurant equipment, setting espresso coffee machine, etc. His most steady job is currently selling Mung Bean Cookies to survive, but the NF keeps him in a poor condition.
His daughter Mutia is in the 2nd year of high school, and Mizan is in the last grade of kindergarten. He is preparing to enter primary school. Ivan has to pay the school debt to keep them in school. He prefers to work, he hates having to ask for money but he has no idea, he feels he is at a dead end. He welcomes any options for jobs, either in Indonesia or abroad. Please contact him if you have any ideas.
