Talia Castellano, Terminally Ill With Cancer, Inspires in Viral Videos
Terminal cancer patient Talia Castellano has swept the internet with her YouTube video channel of makeup tutorials this week.
The 12-year-old, who bravely demonstrates how to apply makeup despite her being bald, began her video blog over a year ago, but this week, announced that her cancer has spread to her bone marrow.
With tireless optimism and bold fearlessness, Castellano has been catapulted to the top of YouTube as her videos to spread across the internet with great speed this week. Castellano's channel, titled "Make-up is my wig," has captured the heart of over 100,000 people who now follow her.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
As well as offering in-depth and impressive instructions for applying eye shadow, blush, and other products, Castellano also posted about her personal battle with cancer and offers fellow cancer survivors words of encouragement.
"I don't like wearing wigs so I wear make up to feel good and pretty inside- and I guess outside," Castellano wrote on her YouTube channel.
The Orlando, Fla. native was diagnosed with cancer over five years ago when she was just 7 years old. Despite her condition, Castellano has not slowed down. Still attending school, she also continued to pursue her interests in makeup, art and dancing.
Today, Castellano is faced with a difficult decision over whether she should have a bone marrow transplant. Doctors found two types of cancer in her body earlier this month, and Castellano openly weighed her options on her video blog.
"I know it's a lot to take in. RIght now I am leaning to not doing [the treatment] because I don't want to go through that," Castellano said in one video. "The chances of not surviving are fewer than surviving. If we even find a match, if my body rejects it them I am screwed, I went through all that crap for nothing," she added candidly.
Her vast fame following have sounded off with messages of support and encouragement this week.
"I look up to you, because I wouldn't know how to deal with a situation like you're in," wrote one YouTube user, DisneySinger12. "So, keep going and keep pushing. No matter what you decide to do, just know that we are all here to support you."
Castellano, who turns 13 on Aug. 18, also uses her blog to support childhood cancer awareness as well as the money-raising website she and her family started, AngelsforTalia.com.
Her current condition has left her with only four months to one year to live, but Castellano continues to warm the hearts of internet users across the world with bubbly, intelligent enthusiasm. Regardless of her decisions about the future, Castellano will continue to use YouTube as a source of expression.
"Having cancer has been a gift yet a horrible, horrible terrifying thing," Castellano said in her video posted on Aug. 7. "But 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 love and adore makeup, using it as my wig and having so much self-confidence to go out to the grocery store without a wig … it's just amazing," she added.
