Southern Belle Magazine May 2013, Issue 1 | Page 84

Kids Fighting Cancer : Talia ’ s Story

Beauty & the Beast

While other girls her age were opening Valentine ’ s Day cards from classmates and crushes , little beauty , Talia Joy Castellano , was receiving the worst news possible . She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma , and would begin a journey that has taken her down a long and difficult road . Neuroblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer . Despite multiple surgeries , hospital stays , lab tests , radiation , chemotherapy , and experimental treatments , Talia has relapsed four times in the six years since being diagnosed with cancer on February 14 , 2007 . In August of last year , Talia received more bad news . Her cancer , the beast , had now invaded her bones .
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She has also been diagnosed with another aggressive form of cancer , Preleukemia , also known as Myelodysplastic Syndromes ( MDS ). Unfortunately there is no cure for MDS . Both Neuroblastoma and MDS are highly aggressive , and it is extremely rare to have these two cancers concurrently . While a bone marrow transplant may prolong Talia ’ s life , she has decided that she will NOT undergo anymore painful and toxic treatments .
Photos by Tammy De La Rosa Photography