Orlando ballroom dancer shares warning about meningitis outbreak
As a professional ballroom dancer, the dance floor is where Rafael Castellano feels at home. But for the past month, he has been at the hospital after contracting a severe case of meningitis.
“Right now, I’m fighting for my legs, because I can’t move them. My feet are swollen. And it’s because of the meningitis that I was exposed to,” said Castellano.
Meningitis is a disease that can cause inflammation around your brain and spinal cord. In severe cases, meningitis can lead to loss of limbs. In April, the Florida Department of Health put out a notice warning people about an outbreak of meningitis cases.
The 32-year-old ended up in an AdventHealth hospital in Orlando on June 1 and ended up in a coma.
“We were told that I was going to die,” he said. “The doctors told my family to get ready for the worst.”
But somehow, Castellano woke up, pulled through and is now on the road to recovery.
“There’s a really good chance, and I know that I’ll be able to walk again,” he said.
The journey so far has been tough which is why he is sharing his story with others.
“The biggest thing is I want to create awareness towards meningitis is out there,” he said. “This vaccine is out there and it could save them from going through this.”
Castellano does not have health insurance. So now, he is raising money on GoFundMe to get to a rehab facility in hopes of getting back on his feet and dancing again.
“I feel like this is a miracle that’s the only way to explain it,” he said. “And now I have the drive to keep fighting and showing everybody what I’m capable of,” he said.