After years of pain, court battles, and deeply personal decisions, 25-year-old Noelia Castillo chose to end her life through euthanasia on Thursday in Barcelona. While her mother supported her decision, Castillo’s father remained completely against the court’s decision. 

During her final hours, her childhood best friend, Carla Rodriguez, made one last attempt to change her mind, arriving nearly an hour before the procedure. But she never got that chance.

According to the NY Post, citing footage captured by Okdiario, Rodriguez kept crying and pleading with security, begging to be allowed inside. She wanted a final goodbye and one last conversation. “I wanted to try to convince her to change her mind,” she said, breaking down, her 6-year-old daughter standing beside her.

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Rodriguez and Noelia had known each other since their school days at Santa Eulalia. Over time, life took them in different directions. But when Rodriguez saw the news about Noelia’s decision, she rushed straight to the hospital, hoping it wasn’t too late. “Noelia has been through so much — so very much,” she said in the footage.

Who was Noelia Castillo?

Noelia Castillo Ramos was just 25. In the days leading up to her death, she spoke about her decision in an interview on the TV show Y Ahora Sonsoles. She made it clear this was her choice, and hers alone.

Saying she felt a sense of relief, she added, “I’m not asking anyone else to do this.” At another point, she added, “I want to go now and stop suffering, period.”

Noelia’s life took a devastating turn in 2022. At the time, she was living in a state-run centre for vulnerable young people. There, she was sexually assaulted by three men, an attack that left her deeply traumatised. Not long after, she tried to take her own life by jumping from a fifth-floor building. She survived the fall, but it left her paralysed from the waist down.

From that moment on, she lived in a wheelchair, dealing with constant, severe pain, both physical and emotional. Spain’s top court would later describe her condition as “serious, chronic and disabling.”

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In court in 2025, she said, “I want to finish with dignity once and for all.” In her last interview, she opened up about how hard life had become. “None of my family is in favour 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.”

Even in her final moments, she had thought about how she wanted to leave. “I want to die looking beautiful,” she said. “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.”

Castillo fought a long battle

Castillo spent years in court trying to secure her right to assisted death. Euthanasia has been legal in Spain since 2021, but cases like hers still go through strict checks.

She applied in 2024, saying she could no longer live with the pain. Doctors reviewed her case and agreed that her suffering met the legal conditions. Still, her father strongly opposed her decision and challenged it in court, even taking the case further with support from a legal group.

Her mother, Yolanda Ramos, stood by her, even though she did not agree. “I do not agree, but I will always be by her side,” her mother said. The case eventually reached the Constitutional Court of Spain, which ruled in Noelia’s favour. In February 2026, the court rejected her father’s appeal, saying there was “no violation of fundamental rights” and confirming that she had the right to choose.

Her case had also reached the European Court of Human Rights, which gave final approval. The courts made it clear she “has full capacity to decide.”

A story that sparked a global debate

Her story drew strong reactions from people around the world. Some were heartbroken and angry over what she had gone through. “Society failed her. This should never have happened,” one person wrote. Others questioned whether this was the right outcome after everything she endured.

At the same time, many supported her decision. “After that level of suffering, no one should be forced to stay alive,” another user wrote. “It is her life and her choice in the end,” said another.