Zarah Castillo’s Inspiring Journey of Hope and Healing

This November, on The Bright Side, we’re highlighting stories of gratitude; moments that remind us how powerful it is to be thankful, even in the face of life’s most difficult challenges. Tonight, we meet Zarah Castillo, a young nail technician in Belize City with big dreams of one day becoming an attorney. But her life is anything but ordinary. In 2023, a devastating accident left her bound to a wheelchair after being thrown from a moving vehicle and injuring her spine. Still, Zarah’s story is not one of loss, it’s one of gratitude, perseverance, and purpose. So, I stopped in at her nail salon to hear more about what keeps her going. Here’s that story.

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

Meet Zarah Castillo, a vibrant nail technician from Belize City with dreams that stretch far beyond the salon. Her dream is to become an attorney. But Zarah’s journey took a dramatic turn in 2023, when a tragic accident changed everything. She was thrown from a moving vehicle, suffering a severe spinal injury that left her in a wheelchair. Now, most people might have let that moment define them, but not Zarah. Her story is one of strength, ambition, and the kind of determination that refuses to be dimmed.

 

Zarah Castillo, Belize City Resident

“I look at life as if it is just continuing the same and not look at the situation. There was a point where I only looked at the situation, and felt that I couldn’t live normal anymore. There was this thing where every time we would talk about something. I would say when I start walking I would do this. Or when I start walking, I would do that. And I just decided what about now? Like, do it now. I’m still living. I can still live. You know? So I still do things now and like I said, I look at the situation as I’m still living, living life.”

 

After the accident, Zarah had to completely rethink what her future might look like, not just from a different physical vantage point, but from a deeply personal and emotional one too. Today, her small bedroom has become her office, a space where she creates beauty, shares her story and interacts with clients. I stopped in for a manicure session.

Zarah Castillo

“A typical day, if it’s busy, is i would get ready as normal in the morning. I would come around this table and get ready for my clients. In between the clients I would go outside for a bit and then come back in for my next client. If it’s not busy, I would relax or I would go somewhere with the family.”

 

She remembers the day like it was yesterday.

 

Zarah Castillo

“I wasn’t unconscious. I was conscious the entire time I was down there — about four to five minutes before the ambulance arrived. I told the people around me that I couldn’t feel my legs. My first thought was that my legs were trapped under the car while my body was down. I touched myself and realized I had hurt my spine. I knew right away what it was. So, I just lay there and prayed. When the doctor later confirmed it, I didn’t break down. I just told myself, life continues.”

 

Two years on, and living a life that feels completely transformed, Zarah continues to embrace each day with a deep sense of gratitude. With the unwavering support of her loved ones, she has built a new sense of purpose. From the comfort of her room, she’s carved out her own path as an entrepreneur, turning her passion for nail art into a source of independence and pride. And even as she adjusts to this new chapter, Zarah hasn’t stopped dreaming, she credits her family’s support for the ability to do so.

 

Zarah Castillo

“During that time, I was in sixth form pursuing my associate’s degree in paralegal studies. One of the first things that came to mind was that I’d have to stop school—but I didn’t. I continued, graduated in my wheelchair, and accepted my associate’s degree.”

 

Julia Jones, Aunt

“We now do a lot together. We’re hardly at home now. As long as I have the break and I can go, I call her and we go and do stuff. That was my promise to her that when I got my car, we’ll do a lot. We won’t be sitting in this house. So as long as she doesn’t have work, we call and we go somewhere.”

 

Zarah Castillo

“With my family and the people around me that became family with the situation, they keep me going. They keep me as active as possible, as long as I’m not busy, they have something for me to do or something for us to do, even if it’s just to hang out and talk. I have a very good support system.”

 

Despite the accident that changed her life, Zarah Castillo says she’s still grateful. And while she’s also still hopeful that she may one day be able to walk again, her gratitude comes from a second chance at life, for the support of her family, and for the strength to keep moving forward.

 

Zarah Castillo

“I am grateful for life and ability, the ability to do stuff. I encourage people, like I said, to whatever the situation is, find the good in it and go with that good. Instead of focusing on the situation on what I can’t do or what I’m not able to do. What about that? Find something that you can and pursue and do that.”

 

Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it can transform it. And for Zarah, that transformation is what keeps her light shining…right here, on The Bright Side. I’m Sabreena Daly.