The best friend of the paralyzed gang-rape victim who died by euthanasia Thursday showed up at the Barcelona hospital an hour before the life-ending procedure in a heartbreaking last-ditch attempt to stop it.
Noelia Castillo’s childhood best friend, Carla Rodriguez, wailed as she begged hospital security to see the 25-year-old in a final effort to change her mind — but officers blocked her from entering the room to say goodbye and make her desperate plea, according to gut-wrenching footage captured by Okdiario.
“I wanted to try to convince her to change her mind,” Rodriguez, who was with her 6-year-old daughter, bawled.
While the two lost touch over the years after attending Santa Eulalia, the inconsolable friend said she learned of Castillo’s tragic decision in the news and rushed to the hospital, determined to stop her at all costs, the outlet reported.
“Noelia has been through so much — so very much,” she added.
Castillo received life-ending medication at an assisted facility in Spain following a years-long legal battle and chronic pain she suffered following a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
She had been confined to a wheelchair since 2022 — when she jumped out of a window of a fifth-floor building, traumatized after being raped by three men at a state-supervised facility for vulnerable youth.
After she survived, Castillo fought for years — including against her own father, who challenged her wishes in court — to receive assisted suicide, which has been legal in Spain since 2021.
Her procedure was approved in 2024.
“I want to go now and stop suffering, period,” Castillo said in an interview Wednesday with the Spanish Antena 3 program “Y Ahora Sonsoles.”
“None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I’ve suffered during all these years? I don’t feel like doing anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult, and I have back and leg pain. I’ve told them how I want it to be. I want to die looking beautiful.
“I’ve always thought I want to die looking good. I’ll wear my prettiest dress and put on makeup; it will be something simple.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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