By: Sanjana Umarale
Today, makeup tutorials are the hot new thing taking Youtube by storm. All around the world, hundreds of girls upload videos of themselves showcasing their makeup application skills, while thousands of girls watch, hoping to sponge off of their knowledge. One such popular Youtube makeup guru is twelve-year-old Talia Joy Castellano. Known for her lively personality and impressive makeup tutorials, Talia has over 100,000 loyal subscribers to her channel.
She, however, is no ordinary Youtube celebrity. In fact, Talia has been a cancer patient since 2007 and currently battles both leukemia and neuroblastoma. Leukemia, as you may know, is a cancer of the blood cells and originates in the bone marrow. Neuroblastoma, on the other hand, is a cancer that develops from nerve cells located in various parts of the body. The combination of both these cancers is extremely rare, and its effect deadly. Talia inspires her viewers with her positivity and liveliness in her videos even in the face of such a terrible disease. She says that makeup for her is akin to a “wig”, something that she uses to feel comfortable and confident when going through the many procedures and treatments that have been called for.
As of now, Talia’s next option is to have a bone marrow transplant, which can be a tough procedure for the body to handle. She says she’s leaning towards not opting for the procedure, meaning she will have anywhere from four months to a year to live. Although she’s unsure of what her next steps may be treatment wise, she is sure that she will continue making Youtube videos. Talia says: “Having a YouTube channel, having to inspire people and having people look up to me…I adore, I love makeup, using it as my wig…it’s amazing.”
