If breast cancer’s death toll surprised you, you are not alone. Thanks to what #Cancerland's founder Champagne Joy calls the “pink-washing” of breast cancer, many Americans believe that it is a completely curable disease. “There's a lack of public awareness — people think that breast cancer is done," says Joy. "They think: We gave, there were pink ribbons, and we're done. That's a curable disease. It's over."Joy has been battling cancer for six years. She was first diagnosed with a lower stage of breast cancer in 2010 and went through the typical treatment of the disease. She was in remission for two years before her cancer came back. At that point, she had metastatic breast cancer. "Metastatic breast cancer means that the breast cancer has spread beyond the breast," explains Joy. "It could be in your organs, it could be in your bones, and it means that it is now a terminal illness. There is no cure due to lack of research in that arena." That's why Joy has made it her mission to make the public aware of the grave truth about terminal breast cancer: Just 2% of research dollars spent on breast cancer goes to finding a cure for metastatic patients.If you have the pleasure of meeting Joy, her joie de vivre is immediately apparent. She doesn't allow the bleak nature of her cause to bring her down — her blue hair, vibrant-colored lids, and retro-matte lips have caused some to dismiss her, but for Joy her multicolored aesthetic is her power suit. "The whole president-of-Mars look is something I've done all my life," she says. "The chemo nurses tell me: 'We know [you're] having a bad day if [you] show up with no makeup.'" For Joy, slicking on yellow liner ( Sephora Collection's Shadow & Liner is her favorite) and a liquid lipstick helps her summon strength. "If I put my face on, I feel like me. I've always tied my look to my sense of self," she declares proudly. "When I was 16, I was thrown out of school because of my white mohawk...they threw me out of a doctor's office because I looked ridiculous... That's me."