Wilton High School Class of 2025 graduate Gael Santos Lugo and his family enjoyed their recent summer vacation in the Bahamas a little extra. While earlier this month, Gael was feeling Caribbean sea breezes and soaking up equatorial sunshine, just one year ago the only thing shining down on him was the fluorescent light over his hospital bed for weeks on end.
Gael — a dedicated rower and hardworking student — began experiencing a range of unusual symptoms in August 2024. What started as a simple stomach ache quickly escalated to unfathomable pain and vomiting. He was admitted to Norwalk Hospital, and then, after some inconclusive tests, transferred to Danbury Hospital, where he was diagnosed with salmonella. He stayed there for three days until he began feeling better and returned home.
A week later, the pain returned in the middle of the night. Gael was rushed back to Danbury Hospital and soon transferred to Connecticut Children’s Hospital. The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of conflicting test results, countless doctors and concerning symptoms. Gael’s blood levels were dropping, his kidneys were inflamed, and he couldn’t eat solid food.
“I had, like, around four or five IVs,” Gael said in an interview, pointing to each spot on his arms where needles had delivered antibiotics and steroids. “Then I started to develop blood clots because of the IVs and needles.”
On Sept. 20, 2024 doctors prepared Gael’s family for the worst. They were planning an invasive surgery, and they said there was a chance Gael might not survive.
The following day, Gael’s mother, Selina Santos, wrote in a social media post, “my son needs every ounce of help from anyone that can spare.”
For a few days after that, his condition improved, and Gael was even set to return home, but on Sept. 27, his symptoms returned and his blood levels dropped again.
“We are determined to bring him home healthy. I feel it in my bones it will be soon,” wrote Selina — a TV producer, marathon runner, spin instructor, and powerhouse mom — in a Sept. 28 post. “He has my DNA — he is a fighter.”
Sure enough, on Oct. 4, 2024, Gael was discharged from the hospital, but his journey was far from over. Weeks of fighting an aggressive blood infection caused by the rare strain of salmonella took a physical toll on him, and he left the hospital with a life-changing diagnosis: lupus nephritis, a kidney disease caused by the autoimmune disorder lupus.
“My mom was there the whole time, the whole time,” Gael said. His family was his support system throughout his hospitalization and after. “They played a very integral role for me getting back on my feet in the first few days and supporting me.”
One day at the hospital, between sleeps and medical procedures, Gael recalls looking through old photos with his mother, reminiscing on a past family trip to Disney World. She promised they would take the trip when he was healthy, and that Thanksgiving break, she followed through on her promise.
“It was like a vacation from the craziness that happened,” Gael said with a smile.
While the joy of amusement park rides and sweets helped Gael heal emotionally, he also had a lot of physical healing to do. He lost 27 pounds of muscle mass during his hospitalization. Desperate to get back to rowing, Gael worked hard to build it back up.
Selina became her son’s trainer for the months that followed his hospitalization. “She helped me get back on my feet, and she changed my diet,” Gael explained. He now lives a plant-forward lifestyle, eating anti-inflammatory foods.
This past April, Gael competed in his first regatta back. “His post-sepsis and kidney remission was faster than doctors expected because his mental and physical well-being was a priority before and after that nightmare,” Selina wrote.
On May 19, Gael attended the Wilton High School Senior Awards Assembly, where he was honored with the Whitney Sherman Memorial Award. Robin Sanson presented the award in memory of her daughter, Whitney, who passed away at age 13 in 2001 from a neurodegenerative disease.
“She was also fiercely determined, courageous, and maintained an indomitable spirit,” said Sanson. “We decided to create this award not only to keep Whitney’s memory alive, but to honor other Wilton students who have exemplified similarly admirable character strengths when faced with adversity.”
“I felt very grateful,” Gael said about the moment he received the award. “And I was, like, extremely surprised!”
It was a triumphant and emotional moment not just for Gael, but for Selina too. “I cried—not from sadness, but from overwhelming pride and gratitude,” she wrote in a May 20 social media post.
In June, Gael graduated high school. He crossed the stage adorned with a bicultural stole to honor his Mexican and Filipino heritage and two leis to represent good fortune.
In the fall he will start as a freshman at the University of Connecticut, a school he chose partly to stay close to his doctors. He will be studying graphic design and digital media — a lifelong passion — with a minor in food science — a new area of interest since his health battle.
Although he is thriving now, Gael’s hospitalization changed his outlook on life. “Time in the hospital, it just basically felt like a time stop,” he said. “I just want to, like, live a simple and happy life.” Like any incoming college freshman, he is eager to meet new people and learn new things.
When asked what he would tell someone else facing their own kind of health battle, Gael took a moment to think. Then the words seemed to flow: “keep going and you can make it out… you can be strong.”
Thank you for this wonderful article! We’ve been presenting the Whitney Sherman Memorial Award for 23 years and sadly there has never been a year when there was not a deserving candidate. We were pleased and proud to honor Gael’s courage, determination and positive attitude that got him through his daunting health challenges. We wish him all good things as he embarks on his college career at UCONN.