Cape student creates poster for SW Florida Wine Fest

Brown Cape Coral middle school student Kishelly Brown created the signature poster for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest. The annual event to be held this February benefits children's charities, including The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. Kishelly is an ongoing patient of the hospital.

"She has ulcerative colitis," said Ingrid Trevino, Kishelly's mother, of the disease which was diagnosed in January 2007. "It's a disease of the colon that they don't have a cure for, so it's something we have to watch. She's on medication the whole time, but she can get flare-ups whenever the disease starts to act up."

Those medications, she says, have been as challenging as the disease. "Because of the medicine she's taking, she gets a lot of headaches and dizziness," said Ms. Trevino. "She was on steroids so long that she got osteoporosis. Then she was changed to a medicine that is like chemotherapy in a pill. And that caused her immune system to get so low that she was sick in the hospital for a whole month."

The young woman's frequent hospital visits might have played a role in her developing art interests. "Spending so much time in the hospital, she is always drawing," said Trevino. "Miss Kelly from HealthPark was always bringing her crafts and art things to do because that's what she likes to do in her spare time there. She likes painting things for other people, so that's when Miss Kelly decided that she was the one to do this art for the Wine Fest."

Kishelly's original art for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest signature poster is a painting of a smiling teddy bear, seated in front of a blue vase filled with white, orange and purple flowers. She was guided by Fort Myers artists and teacher Ellen Sheppard.

"She is an amazing teacher," Ms. Trevino says of Ms. Sheppard.

The poster featuring Kishelly's painting promotes the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, which will be held Feb. 27 and 28 at Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, go to www.swflwinefest.org. For information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 432- 9722.