Ballroom dancer loses legs after 3-month battle with meningitis. ‘Doesn’t define me’

Rafael Castellano pulls himself up on a chin-up bar, swinging the upper parts of his amputated legs, a video posted on Facebook shows.

“Yesterday I got good news my burritos are doing way better,” he wrote in an Aug. 31 Facebook post that he published along with the video.

His “burritos” are what he calls the bandaged-up ends of his legs.

It’s with this type of humor and a positive attitude that Castellano, a professional dancer and dance instructor, has pushed through his three-month bout with meningitis, chronicling it on social media every step of the way.

Despite the loss of his legs, the dancer hasn’t lost hope that he will one day “dance again.”

“One day I will have some prosthetics,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Sept. 16. “For now I’ll get STRONGER!”

The 32-year-old contracted meningococcal meningitis and went to an Orlando hospital, where he was in a coma on June 1, according to WESH.

“We were told that I was going to die,” he told the outlet. “The doctors told my family to get ready for the worst.”

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection that can infect the lining of the brain and spinal chord, causing swelling that can be deadly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Florida Department of Health warned of an outbreak of the disease on April 7 and said the number of cases in 2022 had surpassed the state’s five-year average. The department recommended that certain groups get vaccinated to help prevent the spread.

Even if they are treated, 10 to 15 out of every 100 people infected will die, and 1 in 5 survivors will have long-term disabilities, such as loss of limbs, deafness, nervous system problems and brain damage, according to the CDC.

On Aug. 17, Castellano posted that he decided to have his legs amputated, which was the “hardest decision of my life,” he wrote.

“I know I am going to dance, run and maybe even pick a sport,” he wrote. “My life has (changed) in the past couple of months but I am going to keep on fighting to inspire others because at the end of the day someone always has it (worse) than us.”

A few weeks later, he began to post videos of himself working out with his amputated legs.

“Somedays you don’t want to get up (because) you are tired and your body, or my burritos as I call the end of my legs, hurt everyday!” he wrote on Aug. 29 and published along with a video of himself on a set of gymnastics bars. “But scared as I can be, this right here is what I love to do (because) it takes all fears away and (gets) me in the right mind set.”

On Sept. 5, he wrote that the following day he would go home from the hospital after three months.

“I learned so much about (myself) and the things I want to do moving forward,” he wrote. “I am still fighting this fight.”

Castellano created a GoFundMe to help raise money for prosthetic legs, and the dance studio where he works, Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Orlando, has hosted fundraisers on his behalf.

“Our instructors (performed) a beautiful tribute to Rafael during Jamlando,” the studio posted on Facebook on Aug. 14 along with a video. “He will dance again… Until then, we dance for him.”

In his latest update on Sept. 17, Castellano posted a video of himself doing pullups out of his wheelchair.

“Pull ups are so hard,” one user commented. “You’re doing a great job.”

“I love you and your strength,” wrote another user. “Keep pushing because you are going to do amazing things!”

Castellano wrote that he was planning to make the best out of every moment.

“This doesn’t define me!” he wrote. “I am going to keep pushing each day to be stronger, happier!”

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