Who was Talia Castellano?
Talia Castellano was an American beauty vlogger who posted videos on her YouTube channel and pictures on Instagram. She was born on 18th August 1999 in Florida and died on 16th July 2013 in Florida. She was known for posting beauty-related videos on her YouTube channel and spreading awareness about leukaemia.
Early life and diagnosis of Talia Castellano
When she was young, she used to live with her mother and three siblings in Florida while visiting her father in New York occasionally. Suddenly, at 7 years old, she started to feel sick and experience abnormal pain in her stomach. Her mother took her to the hospital, where doctors ordered X-Ray imaging. The results showed that she had misplaced some organs in her chest, which led to a diagnosis called neuroblastoma. It is a rare type of cancer in the nervous system.
After a long time of treatment, she was declared cancer-free but relapsed multiple times. She was additionally diagnosed with leukaemia, which made it impossible for doctors to treat her. Talia requested palliative care after realizing that her condition was untreatable to enjoy most of her remaining time. She spent a lot of time with her friend, Tammy DeLaRosa, who was a cancer survivor. Tummy taught Talia how to put on makeup, which escalated to Talia creating her YouTube channel Taliajoy18.
YouTube channel of Talia Castellano
Her first YouTube video was called Crazy eyeliner, which stood up to its title. Talia drew random lines all over her face using eyeliner and gathered over 500 thousand views. Despite her untreatable condition, Talia shared happiness and joy all over her channel while applying makeup. Her unforgettable statement became “Makeup is my wig”. She became focused on helping other young people with the same diagnosis as her and spent her time searching for ways to help. She convinced her father to co-found a charity with her. It was called Band of Parents, and it supported neuroblastoma research through Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre.
Charity work of Talia Castellano
Her other gesture to people battling cancer was her collaboration with BASE Camp Children’s Cancer Foundation. This foundation is based in Orlando and has a goal to help children in Florida suffering from cancer and provide support to their families. Since her journey got a lot of attention, she got approached by many beauty brands offering her free products and support. Talia was invited to The Ellen DeGeneres show in 2012. While attending the show, she was announced as the face of CoverGirl, causing her face to appear on billboards around the United States.
Talia’s channel became famous throughout the whole YouTube community, who cherished her and her positive attitude. She often mentioned in her videos that she isn’t afraid to die and that she will be ready when the time comes. When the yearly YouTube rewind of 2013 was posted, it was dedicated to Talia. It was meant as a reminder of her joy, which inspired a lot of people around the world.
Talia's bucket list
Talia died at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children after spending a month in palliative care. Prior to her death, she posted her last YouTube video, where she informed her fans about her state and shared her thoughts in the hospital. After she died, her sister, who also has a YouTube channel, posted a video on Talia’s channel, informing her fans about everything. Talia’s family uploaded her bucket list of 74 items on her Facebook page. Talia’s supporters collectively decided to fulfil her wishes and started posting pictures and videos of all the listed activities. Her family felt touched by the gesture and uploaded all the posts to the Angels for Talia Facebook page.
Interesting facts about Talia Castellano.
- Her zodiac sign was Leo.
- She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer when she was 7 years old.
- After learning that her condition was untreatable, she agreed to palliative care and decided to enjoy the rest of her time.
- She was named the face of CoverGirl in 2012.
- She co-founded a charity to support children with cancer and their families.
- YouTube rewind of 2013 was dedicated to Talia.
- After she died, her supporters fulfiled her bucket list in her name.
