The best friend of a disabled gang-rape victim made a heartbreaking attempt to save her before she was euthanized.
The best friend of a disabled gang-rape victim who died by euthanasia on Thursday appeared at a Barcelona hospital an hour before the fatal procedure in a last-ditch bid to stop it.
Noelia Castillo’s childhood best friend, Carla Rodriguez, cried as she begged hospital security to see the 25-year-old in a last-ditch effort to change her mind — but police blocked her from entering the room to say goodbye and plead with her, according to a heartbreaking photo taken by Okdiario.
“I wanted to try to get him to change his mind,” said Rodriguez, who had his 6-year-old daughter with him.
While the two were no longer on good terms during the many years they attended Santa Eulalia, an inconsolable friend said he heard about Castillo’s decision on the news and rushed to the hospital, determined to stop him by all means, the newspaper reported.
“Noelia has been through a lot – a lot,” he added.
Castillo received life-saving treatment at a Spanish aid station following a years-long legal battle and the chronic pain he suffered following a suicide attempt that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
She had been in a wheelchair since 2022 – when she jumped out of a fifth-floor building window, traumatized after being raped by three men at a state-run center for at-risk youth.
After his survival, Castillo fought for years – including with his father, who challenged his wishes in court – for assisted suicide, which has been legal in Spain since 2021.
His procedure was approved in 2024.
“I want to leave now and stop suffering,” Castillo said in an interview Wednesday with the Spanish Antena 3 program “Y Ahora Sonsoles.”
“No one in my family agrees with euthanasia. But what about all the pain I have faced during all these years? I don’t want to do anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult, and I have back and leg pain. I told them how I want it to be. I want to die looking beautiful.
“I have always thought that I want to die looking good.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or have a mental health problem and you live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential counseling. If you live outside the five states, you can call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
