#25 “Cover a car in sticky notes.”
Just because we didn’t know her, doesn’t mean that Talia Joy Castellano, didn’t touch our lives any less profoundly. Castellano was a tiny, tower of strength and brilliantly, vivacious. She was always upbeat and positive despite the fact that she battled cancer since she was 7 years old.
In 2007, Castellano was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and went into remission for 13 months. However the cancer returned the next year. For several years, she was in and out of remission.
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After she lost her hair she refused to wear a wig. One of her mother’s friends, a cancer survivor, encouraged her to experiment with makeup. Castellano then started taping herself giving makeup tutorials and posted them on YouTube.
She became known as the “professional, YouTube Makeup Guru” with one video getting more than 8 million views, others reached more than 500,000 hits. In August 2012, her cancer spread to her bones and she developed pre-leukemia.
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If you didn’t see her on a YouTube video, you may have seen her as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It was her dream to be on the comedians show. DeGeneres granted that wish on Sept. 12, 2012.
DeGeneres asked her, “Despite what the doctors have said and the cancer you're going through, how do you stay so positive?"
"When people ask me that, what do you want me to do, be depressed? I mean a little fishy told me, 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!'" Talia answered, referring to Ellen's character, Dory in “Finding Nemo.”
"Having cancer has been a gift, yet a horrible, horrible terrifying thing," she said. "I've gotten so many benefits from it- having a YouTube channel and having to inspire people and having people look up to me and explaining to you guys how I adore and love makeup -- using it as my wig -- and having so much self-confidence and going out to the grocery store without a wig.”
The Ellen show told her that CoverGirl heard her inspirational story and made her an honorary CoverGirl. Castellano was a real CoverGirl- bubbly, beautiful and brave.
The little makeup guru teamed up with cancer survivor and fashion designer Urbana Chappa to create their own clothing line called “That Bald Chick!” Chappa has campaigned on Twitter for Target to carry the clothing line.
Castellano passed away on July 16, 2013. The day after Castellano's passing, a video was posted on her Taliajoy18 channel by her older sister, Mattia. She explained how she wanted fans to help carry out Talia's legacy by completing the 13 year old's bucket list. Some of her requests were just simple fun- drinking from a coconut, getting a tattoo, jumping in a pool of Jello and #25 “cover a car in sticky notes.”
It is only fitting that the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life have a “Post-it Note Rally” to fulfill one of Talia Castellano’s bucket list wishes at Target, 25601 Jeronimo Rd, Mission Viejo 92691 on Tues., Aug. 6 from 5- 8 pm at the National Night Out. On her bucket list, #8 “Cover a car in sticky notes.”
Some of her videos on You Tube are “Crazy Eyeliner,” “Fire Eyes,” and “My Makeup is My Wig.” Please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/taliajoy18.
Please support Relay for Life by dropping by, getting information on ACS, making a donation and checking out the opportunities to win some wonderful gift baskets.
For more information please contact Margot Ferron, 949/309-1235 or email gomargotgo@aol.com. “Thank you” for helping us celebrate more birthdays.
