Thomas Castillo, a former freshman at Bishop Noll, has had a rough life. He has had a  congential heart problem since he was born and just recently had a heart and liver transplant.
As a graduate of St. John the Baptist in Whiting, Indiana, he spent a lot of his time between school and stays in the hospital. When he was one, he received a pacemaker and has had several heart procedures thereafter. His doctors always said that he needed a transplant, but was never officially put on the transplant list until 2010.
For those students that know Castillo, he always looked healthy and was in stable condition, so he was put at the bottom of the transplant list. Last year however, he started having more medical issues and was placed higher on the list in November 2011. By the time New Year’s hit, Castillo was moved to the top of the list because he needed a heart and a liver. While waiting he suffered a stroke and was no longer on the list.
His grandmother, Linda, was ready to bring him home and care for him, but he was able to recover enough to be put back on the list again. He received a new heart and liver on March 1, 2012.
“So far, there have been no rejections from either organs, said Castillo’s grandmother. “We are now dealing with and focusing on his recovery from the stroke.”
Castillo spent the first part of his freshman year with his friends until he started to get sick again. His family is still unsure if he will be able to return to school, but when he is ready, he hopes to return to Noll. His grandmother thanks the whole school community for their support and asks us to keep him in our prayers.
Hopefully, Castillo will be able to come home in 4 to 6 weeks and when he is able to return, he will definitely be welcomed home.