Today we’d like to introduce you to Mattia Castellano.
Hi Mattia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My little sister, Talia Joy, who was named an Honorary COVERGIRL on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2012 and famous on YouTube “Taliajoy18” for her makeup tutorials, passed away when she was 13 years old. When she was seven, Talia was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, I was 13. For six and a half years, my mom and sister traveled to different hospitals in the country to find the best treatment for Talia. I was not with my mom and sister as much as I wish I could’ve been. I was left wondering how life would be on a day-to-day basis. Would Talia make it or not? When will I see them next? When can we be a family? Those questions were always on my mind. Talia passed away in 2013 after the longest fight of her life, battling two cancers at once for six and a half years. In 2015, my mom and I created our nonprofit, Talia’s Legacy Children’s Cancer Foundation, in honor of Talia. One of our main programs is to help young girls and boys battling cancer feel confident in their skin while wearing makeup! We travel around the country, do makeovers, and give makeup bags filled with makeup to girls and boys battling childhood cancer.
Talia started this program, which is called Glam Wars. We are now continuing her legacy with this program. “Makeup is My Wig” was Talia’s motto. She always said that she did not feel like herself when she wore a wig, so she started to wear makeup, which became her wig. She wore her bald head proudly and a face full of glam makeup, which became infectious to her viewers on YouTube and worldwide. My greatest joy in life was being Talia’s sister. She taught me to stay positive and to keep swimming. I will always keep her memory alive and bring joy along the way to other children like her.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Running a non-profit takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and time! We are constantly trying to find new ways to fundraise for our programs. We assist in Family Aid/Bill support to help families with their bills while undergoing treatment with their children. Our biggest struggle is fundraising and finding new ways to do so! It is hard to keep up with fundraising for families; they need so much help, and we try our best to make it happen.
As you know, we’re big fans of Talia’s Legacy Children’s Cancer Foundation. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?
I am the Vice President of Talia’s Legacy Children’s Cancer Foundation, a Makeup Artist, and a Social Media Influencer. I aspire to inspire my followers and spread awareness for childhood cancer in every way I can through my social media platform of over 400,000 followers. My Instagram is @mattia_joyce, and my Facebook is Mattia Joyce Castellano.
Talia’s Legacy’s Main Programs:
•Glam WARS Program
•Assist with Family Aid/Bills
•Raise money for Clinical Trials and Research
•Support Group for parents who lost children to cancer
•Community Childhood Cancer Awareness Programs
We have visited over 20 children’s hospitals in the country to bring our Glam WARS program bedside to the children battling cancer. This has been our pride and joy! It gives the children an experience where they can just be themselves, have fun, and not think about their cancer.
Talia was asked, if you had one wish, what would it be? Talia’s answer is “the cure to cancer.” This is why we do what we do. Talia’s one wish is what drives us to continue our efforts. We plan events across the country and tirelessly raise funds for our programs. To make her wish come true, we continue to post to our thousands of followers on social media. We provide customized makeovers to support and encourage young children to have a positive outlook because that is what Talia would do if she were still on earth. Talia’s Legacy Children’s Cancer Foundation has donated over $250,000 through our programs of patient aid/bill support for childhood cancer families, clinical trials and research, Glam WARS and childhood cancer awareness programs in hopes of one day finding a cure for all childhood cancers. We host Community Awareness Programs throughout Orlando. We turn the Lake Eola fountain Gold for September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month every September. We also turn Icon Park Orlando Eye GOLD and the Lake Nona Beacon Gold! We host community awareness programs to help spread awareness of childhood cancer!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
Due to COVID-19, we can no longer visit children’s hospitals nationwide to bring our Glam Wars program bedside for children. We are now limited to shipping makeup bags to the hospitals or the parents of the children personally. We hope to revisit a children’s hospital this September for the first time in over 3 years! We are very excited to bring this experience back to the children!
Contact Info:
- Website: taliaslegacy.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taliaslegacy/
- Facebook: Facebook.com/taliaslegacy
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@taliaslegacy
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@taliaslegacy
Image Credits
Tammy DelaRosa Photography
