At 13, she has already been made a honorary face of CoverGirl, a
US cosmetics brand.
Talia Joy Castellano also has a video blog on YouTube which has
generated about 39 million views so far.
Talia is from Orlando, Florida, and despite having terminal
cancer, dreams big.
She has now achieved another dream - to become a fashion
designer.
Talia is set to launch a collection for teenagers with Los
Angeles-based designer, Urbana Chappa, the Daily Mail reported.
Ms Chappa, who runs a women's wear label called Maison De
Urbana, decided to help fulfil Talia's dream of becoming a fashion
designer after hearing the teen's inspirational story on The Ellen
DeGeneres Show last year.
She flew to Florida on April 15 to meet her at the Arnold Palmer
Hospital for Children in Orlando, to help bring her design ideas to
life. They discussed about launching the brand in the coming
weeks.
Talia said she wanted to "show young teens that they can express
themselves with clothes".
Ms Chappa, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 19
but successfully overcame the disease, explained that meeting Talia
was an experience she would never forget.
She said: "Even though Talia was sick in the hospital, we made
the best of our time. She's so full of life that it's hard for me
to imagine that she has cancer. We talked, sketched, worked on her
line.
"My heart hurts to know that she has to go through this and that
she had so much she wants to do and accomplish. I wanted nothing
more to keep her legacy alive."
They have called their brand That Bald Chick, in reference to
Talia's hairless appearance.
In one of her YouTube video blogs, Talia explained that she
doesn't wear a wig because they make her feel "fake" and "just not
me". Instead, she uses make-up as a confidence booster.
All proceeds from sales of her clothing range will go to her
family who face sky-high medical bills.
Talia was first diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma cancer,
a tumour that develops from nerve tissue in infants and children,
on Valentine's Day in 2007. She was seven then. Following
chemotherapy, surgery and radiation she was cancer-free for one
year, but in September 2008 doctors found the disease had spread to
a small lymph node near her heart.
For the next four years she received various treatments, but
after periods of remission the cancer kept on returning to other
parts of her body.
Last year, she revealed that she had neuroblastoma and leukaemia
at the same time. Doctors suggested a bone marrow transplant as a
possible remedy, but she decided to forgo another painful surgery
and enjoy her remaining days. Talk show star, Ellen DeGeneres, also
cited the youngster as an inspiration. <!-- Start For Web Only
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