SLO business owner was in a coma for 41 days. ‘It’s a miracle I’m alive’ after COVID
Leon Castillo is lucky to be alive. In fact, he calls it a miracle.
Castillo, co-owner of Popolo Catering in San Luis Obispo, was one of the first people on the Central Coast to contract COVID-19 in March 2020.
“I was the guinea pig,” Castillo said. “I felt like I was getting advice from doctors from all over California. Nobody knew the formula. Nobody knew exactly what to do.”
The experience nearly cost him his life and his business, he said, adding that it “has been a journey.”
“People need to know about this experience,” Castillo said. “It actually makes me feel good to talk about.”
SLO catering business owner contracts COVID-19
Castillo, a 60-year-old Santa Maria resident, said he attended a Las Vegas catering industry conference with thousands of other people — and did some casino gambling — days before he tested positive for COVID-19.
That’s likely where he contracted the virus that has killed more than 200 residents in San Luis Obispo County and more than 380 in Santa Barbara County, while sickening thousands of others on the Central Coast.
Castillo, whose medical history includes diabetes, a heart condition and bouts of pneumonia, was hit hard by coronavirus.
He felt dizzy, disoriented and severely fatigued, with a slight fever. He even lost his smell.
“I felt like I partied too hard in Vegas and I was going to get over it in a couple of days, but I didn’t,” he recalled.
As his symptoms worsened, and his oxygen levels dipped, Castillo was rushed to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria on March 21, 2020.
There, he was intubated, put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma that lasted for 41 days.
Castillo said Marian Regional Medical Center officials told him he was the first person to be hospitalized for coronavirus there.
“Doctors said they didn’t think I would make it,” Castillo said. “It’s a miracle I’m alive. God wanted me to be here to share my story and encourage others to make it through. I’m OK with being the poster child for COVID in this area.”
Santa Maria man’s family fights to keep business alive
While Castillo lay unconscious for days, his wife Kathleen, who goes by Kat, and 30-year-old son, Kenny, kept their catering business afloat.
Popolo Catering normally depends on weddings, events and Cal Poly functions to make ends meet.
As Castillo fought for his life, his wife and son worked with clients to reschedule bookings and postpone events for their business, established in San Luis Obispo in 2006.
“The immediate focus for our family was to keep Popolo above water and to not disappoint Leon,” Kat Castillo wrote in a Facebook post about the family’s struggle for business survival. “Kenny is a fighter, just like his dad, and through his dad, he learned everything he knows about our business.
“Kenny rose to the challenges and continues to rise daily, in collaboration with his mom and dad, and our Popolo instrumental staff.”
As the coronavirus pandemic dragged on, Popolo Catering was able to partner with Courtyard by Marriott in San Luis Obispo, offering takeout meals to hotel guests.
In the meantime, the business dropped from 30 workers to a core crew of six, who became all-purpose staffers, Leon Castillo said.
“I really thank my employees who had to learn step in to do a little bit of everything,” Castillo said. “It wasn’t easy for them, and I’m really thankful to them and my family for pushing through. In business, like in life, you have to be tough. And just like in 2008, during the Great Recession, we had to find a way.”
Popolo Catering owner recovers from coronavirus
After weeks of unconsciousness, Castillo woke up from his coma on his own.
Castillo was still under medication when he opened his eyes, he said, unsure if “I was in heaven or what.”
In the following days, he gradually regained some strength and energy.
Finally, he was discharged from Marian Regional Medical Center on May 14 and began professional physical therapy, with daily walks and breathing exercises. Castillo was unsteady on his feet at first and had to learn to walk again, he said.
Photos of his early recovery show Castillo with a walker, medical staff by his side.
He lost 48 pounds during his ordeal. And he was emotionally shaken by the experience.
“For two months, I really just couldn’t talk to anybody about it,” Leon Castillo said. “I’d just break down. But I’ve gotten better over these months.”
Castillo said he declined media requests for comment in those early weeks of recovery, adding that talking about his experience with coronavirus gave him post-traumatic stress.
“I feel like finally I’m able to talk about it, and I want to tell my story now because I don’t want anyone to give up,” Castillo said. “I damn near died. I damn near lost my business. It’s (expletive) hard. I know it has been hard for a lot of people. But I want to educate people. It is a testimony.”
Kat Castillo also contracted COVID-19 and suffered mild symptoms such as a slight fever and fatigue — but her experience with the virus was nothing like her husband’s. “I got the full monty,” he said.
Central Coast resident still experiences COVID symptoms
Castillo still has lingering medical issues due to coronavirus, including shortness of breath and fatigue. His oxygen levels remain below normal, and he’s meeting with doctors to see what kind of lung treatment he needs.
“I still feel hung over, dizzy, and it takes a good portion of the morning to get clear-headed enough to think straight,” Castillo said, noting that he now goes to bed at 7 p.m., compared to his pre-pandemic bedtime of 10 p.m. “I get shortness of breath. I get tired. I don’t do well talking for a long time.”
Castillo is working on a limited basis, often advising his family from home, although doctors have advised Castillo not to work because his body is not strong enough.
Leon and Kat Castillo say they’ll be forever grateful to the “phenomenal physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians, and other service staff” who helped him survive his nearly deadly bout with coronavirus.
Leon Castillo also said he’s thankful to all the clients who stuck with Popolo Catering.
Things are starting to look up for the business — with dozens of events booked in 2021 and beyond, as the economy starts to recover and COVID-19 vaccines become more available.
“So many couples are booking weddings they couldn’t have in 2020,” Castillo said. “We thank them and all the people who helped and supported our family. It was nearly a year ago that I had this, and so much has happened. I’m not scared to die. I’m OK with it. God wanted it for me for a reason, and that’s to share and educate. That’s my story.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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