Talia Joy has been a presence in my life since 2012, when I first came across her YouTube videos. It is only at the age of 21 that I have begun to realise how extraordinary Talia’s legacy is. Revisiting her videos, I was inspired to write the following poem. But first, some quotations to provide some background about Talia’s story, in case you are unfamiliar with it:
On February 14, 2007, at the age of seven, Talia Joy Castellano was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. After three relapses and a diagnosis of a secondary cancer, MDS/preleukemia, Talia continued to fight two forms of cancer at the same time. She continued treatments knowing there was no cure, but hoped to slow down the progression to prolong her life. After six and a half years, on July 16, 2013 at 11:22am, Talia Joy Castellano lost her battle to childhood cancer.
https://taliaslegacy.org/
Throughout her battle, Talia never stopped dreaming. She loved people, shopping, music, the beach, watching YouTube, fashion, social media and most of all makeup! Talia started using makeup when she was seven years old, after she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Combining all of her loves into one, Talia started her own YouTube channel, Taliajoy18. Talia gave her subscribers makeup tutorials and uploaded vlogs that shed light on her cancer. Talia still has over 2 Million subscribers on YouTube and over 1 Million followers on Instagram, @taliajoy18. She continues to inspire people to live their lives to the fullest and to love themselves as they are.
https://taliaslegacy.org/
Thank you for reading!
Shreya
Paradise Prose Blog 