R.I.P. Talia Joy (Castellano)

I've been thinking about posting this for the past couple of days.  I didn't really want to dwell on something sad, or something that my readers may or may not know about.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was not sad after all.  If you are in the make up community or big on You Tube videos or not completely hiding under a rock, you may know of 13 year old Talia Castellano.  Talia lost her battle with cancer this week, after fighting for six years. Talia became a really big YouTube sensation back in the day.  Her love of life, beauty, makeup and all things positive radiated to hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) of viewers.  She even became an honorary CoverGirl, and has appeared on the Ellen Show.  She radiated such positivity to everyone, even us strangers who admired her bravery from our computer and phone screens.  She was the pretty little bald girl, who never wanted to cover her head with a wig, and loved every minute of it.

I remember first seeing her thinking, there's no way this girl is so young, she has the wisdom and courage of someone years older than her.  Just writing about her brings tears to my eyes.  The love that so many people had for someone they've never met, and the positivity that radiated and was sent out to her family during these tough past few weeks has been nothing short of amazing.  I loved that Talia was a fighter, and never let cancer get her down.  I could not imagine having to go through everything that she did, and still keeping a smile on her face, even from her hospital bed.  

I know, based off of the Facebook and Instagram pages for Talia and her family that the past few weeks have been very hard for Talia, and that at moments things were touch and go.  Everyone pulled together and sent her family prayers and well wishes, many for a girl whom they never met.  As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain that Talia's mother is going through, but I can say that Talia has left a legacy here on Earth that will last forever.  Her kindness, beauty, and courage have touched each and every one of her "fans" or "admirers". I am eternally grateful and inspired by her bravery.

I know I might be rambling at this point, but I just wanted to pay my respect to Talia and her family.  She was truly an angel here on Earth.  Rest in paradise, always.  Just keep swimming.

Note: These are images I found on IG or Talia's page.  I didn't make these.