Heartbreaking video showing paraplegic gang-rape victim Noelia Castillo Ramos attempting to walk again using crutches has surfaced days after her euthanasia death.
The undated footage shows Castillo’s father Geronimo Castillo enthusiastically cheering his daughter on as she attempts to take some tentative steps.
Castillo, from Barcelona, Spain, captured international headlines this week after she elected to die by euthanasia on Thursday.
The 25-year-old made the unthinkable decision after she was left paralyzed from jumping off a roof to escape a gang rape ordeal.
Castillo died at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility where she resided, bringing to an end a legal battle that has lasted more than a year and a half.
The newly unearthed video showed her encouraging father referring to her as a ‘machine’ as she struggled to walk.
He could be heard motivating Ramos, who briefly flashed a smile to the camera, as she attempted to walk again.
Castillo’s request for euthanasia kicked off an intense legal battle with her father for more than a year.
Castillo was left in a wheelchair in constant pain following her ordeal, and spoke openly about wanting to end her life before she was granted approval by the Catalan Guarantee and Evaluation Commission in 2024.
‘I want to go now and stop suffering, period. None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I’ve suffered during all these years?’ she said.
‘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,’ Ramos continued.
‘The happiness of a father, a mother, or a sister cannot be more important than the life of a daughter,’ she said, referring to her family.
Castillo had her family say goodbye beforehand, but wished to be alone as the injection is administered. She passed away with four photos of ‘happy’ memories by her side, Newsweek reported.
She said she spent much of her childhood in care due to her parents’ addiction and mental health problems, and a gang rape in 2022 was a turning point for her.
Castillo was reportedly sexually abused by one of her ex-boyfriends and later three other men days before she attempted to take her own life, according to Spanish media.
‘I didn’t report it because it was days before I tried to kill myself,’ she said of the assault.
On October 4, 2022, after using cocaine, she jumped from the fifth floor of a building, leaving her paraplegic.
She suffered a severe spinal cord injury, which has left her unable to move from the waist down and caused severe neuropathic pain and incontinence, according to El Mundo.
Her father sought to block her euthanasia through the courts, arguing against her right to die, but she accused him of failing to respect her wishes.
‘He hasn’t respected my decision and he never will,’ she said in her final interview.
‘He wanted to put the house he bought in my name so he could continue collecting child support. After that, he doesn’t want to put the house in my name, or pay for the funeral, or attend the euthanasia, or the burial, and he says he doesn’t want to know anything more about me. That for him I’m already dead.
‘I understand. He’s a father and he doesn’t want to lose a daughter, but he doesn’t listen to me. He never calls me, he never writes to me. The only thing he does is bring me food. Why does he want me alive? To keep me in a hospital?’ she added.
Prior to her suicide attempt in 2022, the young woman had reportedly already attempted to take her own life through drug overdoses and self harm, El Mundo reports.
According to reports, Castillo also suffers from borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder with paranoia and suicidal ideation, leading to severe mood swings and instability.
Spain is one of few countries to legalize euthanasia following a 2021 law that comes with strict requirements.
It stipulates that anyone of sound mind who is suffering from a ‘serious and incurable illness’ or a ‘chronic and disabling’ condition can request assistance to die.
The father had said his daughter suffered from mental disorders that ‘could affect her ability to make a free and conscious decision’ as required by law.
He also said there were indications she had changed her mind and that her ailment did not entail ‘unbearable physical or psychological suffering.’
Her mother, Yolanda Ramos, said she wished she had a ‘magic wand’ to change her daughter’s mind but said she ‘respected’ her daughter’s decision.
Christian Lawyers, who represented Noelia’s father, said in a statement to The Mirror: ‘At Christian Lawyers, we deeply regret her death and denounce that this case highlights the serious flaws in the euthanasia law, which does not protect the most vulnerable people.
‘We urge politicians to use her story to drive urgent changes and prevent something like this from happening again.’
Despite the intense legal fight, Castillo herself contacted Antena 3 after learning the date of her euthanasia to leave a final message.
‘I’ve finally done it. Let’s see if I can finally rest because I can’t take this family anymore, the pain, everything that torments me from what I’ve been through,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to be an example for anyone, it’s simply my life, and that’s all.’
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
