He Made A Difference

Jose Arcangel Castillo Moo was born on September 22, 1994. We were introduced to him in 2008. Jose was severely impacted by cerebral palsy, down syndrome and other conditions. His ability to communicate was very limited. He could not walk or perform many of the functions that many of us take for granted.

Jose passed from this earth on Thursday afternoon, January 19th at his home. He was 22 years old.

Some people would say that because of his condition he never was able to make an impact in this world. But here are the facts….

  • Jose’s smile was infectious. The determination he had to learn to sit up, feed himself, say “mama” and other accomplishments were truly inspirational
  • It was because of a request by a therapist to provide a high chair for him to sit in, we had our first project to assist special needs children.
  • It was because of Jose, donors met a family that they would support. This year, Blanca (Jose’s cousin) will graduate from CBTIS – a local high school and become the first member of this family to complete school. She plans to attend college next year.

True, Jose never went to school. He never was able to hold a conversation with any of us. He never played soccer. He was not able to do many of the things we take for granted in our daily lives. But he did touch many lives. He created memories for many of us that will not be forgotten and now he is free of the body that held him captive on this earth and I believe he is dancing in the clouds.

We should never discount the impact another person might have on other lives just because they have physical or mental limitations of any type. Jose made a difference – we should all hope to do as much.

Jose sitting in his chair playing with birthday toys

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