A heart-wrenching video has surfaced, capturing the poignant moment when Noelia Castillo, a paraplegic and survivor of a gang rape, was encouraged by her father to take steps despite her paralysis. This footage has come to light following the tragic news of her passing through euthanasia.
Noelia, aged 25, became paralyzed from the waist down after a suicide attempt in 2022. In a video clip obtained by the Spanish news outlet Okdiario, her father, Geronimo Castillo, can be seen cheering her on as she takes cautious steps with the aid of forearm crutches.
As she slowly rose from her chair, Geronimo excitedly prompted, “Action!” in Spanish. Noelia, with a modest smile, concentrated intently on her movements, determined to take each step.
“Careful — what a machine,” Geronimo exclaimed with pride, capturing Noelia’s tentative walk. “We’re strolling through Badalona, she’s so cool. She’ll be running in no time!” he added optimistically.
As the video drew to a close, Geronimo seemed intent on not overwhelming his daughter during her recovery process.
“One minute of recording, no more,” he reminded gently. “Very good, very good. Don’t rush, take it easy.”
“One minute of recording, no more,” he said. “Very good, very good. Don’t rush, take it easy.”
Noelia looked up at the camera once again to blow a kiss and say goodbye, as her dad playfully instructed.
Geronimo was fiercely opposed to Noelia dying by assisted suicide. She underwent the fatal procedure on Thursday at a Barcelona hospital.
She decided to pursue euthanasia in April 2024, explaining that the physical and emotional pain she was grappling with became too much to bear, according to Spanish Antena 3 program “Y Ahora Sonsoles.”
“I don’t feel like doing anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult for me, and I have back and leg pain,” she told the outlet during her final interview.
Noelia, who was diagnosed with OCD and borderline personality disorder, said that she endured great suffering throughout her short life.
She recounted three separate occasions where she was sexually assaulted.
The first was by a then-boyfriend, who she dated for four years, and the second incident happened at a night club when two men reportedly tried to abuse her, she told Antena 3.
She tried to kill herself after the third attack, when she was raped by several men at an entertainment venue.
Here’s the latest on Noelia Castillo, the paraplegic gang-rape victim who died of euthanasia
None of the alleged assailants have been publicly identified.
Her devastated father looked on in horror as she plunged to the ground when she jumped out of a five-story building’s window, she said.
Geronimo fought for years to stop the state from approving Noelia’s assisted suicide.
He was supported by a group called Christian Lawyers and argued that Noelia’s mental illness impaired her ability to make sure a serious decision.
He also accused the Spanish state of “abandoning” his daughter by offering death instead of further psychiatric treatment.
But even after Geronimo made several appeals to various courts, Noelia’s wish was upheld.
“None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I’ve suffered during all these years?” Noelia said during her last interview.
“The happiness of a father, a mother, or a sister cannot be more important than the life of a daughter.”
