"PRO"file piece - viviana martin

meet viviana martin, stila’s pro artist relations manager and a breast cancer survivor.  viv was diagnosed with breast cancer at a very young age and elected to be part of a special study at ucla.  she was fortunate to have dr. glaspy, the chief of oncology, as her doctor. today viv is 11 years cancer free.  since october is breast cancer awareness month, we interviewed viv about her experience.  here is what she had to say.

first, get examined no matter what your adult age is.  you can take the lead in getting other examinations because the mammogram is not always 100% accurate – especially if your gut tells you something isn’t right.  second, never take life for granted.  i am grateful for each day of my life.

don’t lose hope.  medical technology is always advancing.  having endured the treatments myself, I know how difficult chemo and radiation are.  however, you can have a normal life in the end. 

i got through cancer by staying positive, with humor, and mostly with a lot of faith.  my husband was my cheerleader, and my friends and family always checked in on me.  it was physically difficult, but I kept telling myself it would be ok in the end.

the one thing that made me feel normal when i lost my hair was playing with wigs and makeup.  if i wanted to give myself a treat, i could count on kitten eye shadow, convertible color, and all of the lip glazes because they would add a glow that i so lacked. 

***viv we love your courage, example, and enthusiasm.  dom and sarah have a few thoughts about you on behalf of stila..

dominick briguglio said, “viv is one of my favorite people.  her funky attitude and style is contagious and she has the most fabulous hair.  she is definitely one of a kind!  YOU GO GURL!!!”

sarah lucero said, “viv is such an inspiration to me in many ways.  she’s so talented, passionate, positive, and calm every single day.  viv you are my hero and i am so blessed to have you in my life as a friend first and co-worker second.”