LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A long-time Las Vegas Physical Education teacher faces the health challenge of his life as he undergoes procedures to fight cancer.
Kainalu Castillo, a Desert Oasis High graduate who played football, basketball, and track, has taught at Challenger School in the Silverado Ranch area for nine years; he has had a quiet battle with cancer for four years, all while continuing to teach P.E.
“I’ve been super blessed to be able to work with kids for the last nine years,” Castillo said. “It’s specifically called chronic myeloid leukemia: it’s a cancer in the bone. From what I’ve been told, my white blood cells are cancerous.”
For the very first time in nine years, he cannot make the first day of school; Castillo is set to undergo a bone marrow transplant on Friday, then spend 100 days in isolation and then recovery.
Castillo had four rounds of oral chemotherapy and surgery to remove his lymph nodes; the cancer has progressed to the point that he needed the transplant.
Castillo has become friends with the students, former students, and their whole families; he had to tell them, he would miss out on the first weeks of the new school year.
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“For the last four years, I’ve kind of kept it pretty quiet. I think it definitely caught a lot of them off guard, and my phone was just getting blown up left and right,” he said.
Families were shocked to learn his dedication to his students amid his personal battle.
To help him afford his transplant, a family of one of his students helped him with a part-time job; plenty of other students and their families are contributing to a GoFundMe.
“He was always there to hear me out on things, and he was a very supportive and kind teacher. He was one of my favorite teachers I’ve ever had,” said former student Donovan Mikhail.
“Both of my kids have described him as being very kind and supportive, and that’s something that’s really special and has made him stand out from so many teachers,” said mom Mikela Mikhail.
“I love the fact that he is going through all of this, and he still continues to show up daily for our kids,” said mom Clarissa.
“He taught me, through teaching with his cancer, even if you’re put down or you don’t feel like you could do it, you still have to push through,” student Emeri said.
“Be brave and just stay strong. Just push through it,” student Tatum said.
Castillo is eager to recover and get back to the classroom by fall, though his doctors want him to take it easy.
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