MORRISTOWN, New Jersey
The family of a two-year-old boy, Isaias Castillo, who tragically became the first pediatric flu victim in New Jersey this season, shared their profound sorrow with Eyewitness News.
According to Isaias’s mother, they took him to the emergency room due to a fever but were sent home—only for him to pass away hours later. Family members expressed the belief that his death might have been avoided.
“I will never be the same, my children will never be the same, my family will never be the same, and to them it’s just another number,” Giselle Castillo lamented.
For Castillo, Isaias was her whole world. Now, that world feels utterly shattered.
Almost a week after his passing, his toys remain untouched in the family room, a haunting reminder of his absence.
“He is the biggest blessing we ever had. He changed so many lives, and we love and miss him so much,” she added.
Isaias registered a fever of 101.2 degrees last Sunday night. The next morning, Giselle and her husband took him to the ER at Morristown Medical Center, where they were informed he had the flu and advised to administer Tylenol or Motrin.
That afternoon, his fever dipped slightly, but by evening it spiked to 105 degrees, and he began having seizures.
“It was traumatic. I was scared, screaming for my husband to call 911,” Castillo recounted.
The following morning, Isaias passed away at the hospital. His family holds that he shouldn’t have been discharged the previous day.
“Morristown should never have let him go home in the morning that we were there,” Castillo expressed, emphasizing her frustration.
He wasn’t vaccinated, as he hadn’t been in daycare, and was set to receive his flu shot later this month.
“He was the light of every room, touching everyone he met. He was the center of attention, so humble and kind, playful, full of energy,” Castillo reflected with a mix of pride and sorrow.
Eyewitness News has reached out to the hospital for a statement but has yet to receive a response.
A crowdfunding initiative has been set up to provide support for the Castillo family during this difficult time.
