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A Mother's Day Tribute To A #MehronMom

12th May 2017

In celebration of Mother's Day, we wanted to share an amazing story about an inspirational mother-daughter duo who make the world a little brighter. Dehsarae and Kayah, otherwise known as Dehsonae, started an Instagram page and YouTube channel to post everything they do in life, including makeup tutorials, mother-daughter bonding, and life hacks. We have always found their loving interaction and creative looks emotion evoking and inspiring - as we are sure so do their hundreds of thousands of followers. Their sheer love for one another and what they do together shines through in every adorable photograph and video. Watching Kayah apply makeup to herself and her mother will instantly bring a smile to your face!

After viewing one of their recent videos in which Dehsarae shared her personal story, we were even more moved by the pair. Dehsarae found out she was pregnant with Kayah in 2011. During that same time period, she also learned she had cervical cancer. She had two options: undergo treatment while pregnant or wait until after she delivered her baby. Dehsarae chose the latter because she didn't want to risk anything happening to her baby.

The pregnancy was quite rough, with Dehsarae feeling incredibly ill throughout. The delivery wasn't any easier. Kayah was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. She was not breathing when she entered the world. The doctors whisked her to a table to try to get her to breathe. After 15 minutes on a machine, she finally took her first breath. In critical condition, Kayah was rushed to a hospital one and one-half hours away to meet her needs. Dehsarae never got to touch Kayah, or hold her, or smell her before she was taken away. She would not get to do so until over two months later.

Very ill, Dehsarae went straight into chemotherapy. A true mom, she put her child's needs first and insisted Kayah's father go and stay with their baby. "I didn't want her to feel alone," she said. "He needed to be with her and I wanted them to be together and spend that time together."

They were finally able to bring Kayah home when she was about three months old. "We're definitely blessed to have her. She has such a kindred soul and is such an amazing person," said Dehsarae. "Sometimes I can't even fathom how I was so blessed to have something like her . . . and be able to call someone like her my daughter . . . She has been pure blessings... She completes who we are and gives us that sense of sunshine and happiness and light."

As Dehsarae went through chemotherapy, she lost weight as well as her hair, and became depressed. Looking to break free from her funk, she wanted to do something different, positive, that would inspire others. She turned to face and bodypainting. This creative outlet opened a whole new horizon and helped lift Dehsarae from a very dark place. Friends, family - even her supervisors - saw her talent. Dehsarae decided to go full force with her creativity as it was what makes her happy.

This light led Dehsarae on a new path. She was just transitioning out of the military and wanted to do something that allowed her to spend more time with Kayah. So she started painting her adorable little girl and shared their looks on social media. By the time Kayah was 2 1/2, she wanted to do her own makeup! For her first look she turned herself into Queen Elsa, painting blue makeup all over her face. Kayah was so excited about the responses she received on Snapchat, she now asks her mom to do face painting.

The looks the mother-daughter team create are fabulous. They are inspired by cartoons and movies. Dehsarae picks two of the most significant characters from the story and asks Kayah if she likes the idea. After watching movies and television shows, Kayah also comes up with her own suggestions. Even fans send look requests. Now, the two go down the list of requests and try to fill them - typically popular Disney, Nickelodeon, and Universal characters - with some help of Mehron products.

One of Dehsarae's go to products is Mehron's Clown White. "I go through tubs of it," she said. With a passion for pink, Kayah loves to use Light Pink Paradise Makeup AQ - her Paradise Makeup AQ Pastel Palette is one of her favorites to play with.

"Mehron products were the first bodypainting products I used," said Dehsarae. "In fact, Mehron was the first company to reach out to me about my work. When I heard from them, I thought maybe my work was something more than I thought it was."

Unfortunately, Dehsarae is currently not feeling well. She is now going through more chemotherapy. This time her hair started to fall out more quickly, which was disheartening. To avoid going back into a dark hole, she decided to shave her head and have control over what is happening to her in a situation that she has no control over. She took to YouTube to share her story to inspire others to step out of their boxes, even if their situations seem impossible to get out of.

She shares a powerful message in her video. "Just love yourselves and live life to the absolute fullest and do what you love.. . . I am a very firm believer in doing what you love and I hope to instill those properties in my daughter as well," says Dehsarae. "Make sure to tell yourself that you are beautiful, make sure to love yourself, and make sure to tell someone else that they're beautiful."

We think Dehsarae and Kayah are beautiful inside and out. They truly embody what it means to be a Mehron Girl and Mehron Mom. They continually inspire us with their mother-daughter bond, passion, creativity, and positivity. We wish Dehsarae and all the moms out there a truly wonderful Mother's Day. We would love to hear your Mehron stories too!

Watch Dehsarae tell her story.