Meet This Amazing Mother & Son Duo
As a young boy, Ryan would ask his mom the heart-wrenching question of why he didn’t have a dad. As the young blonde-haired blue-eyed boy grew, that question turned into questions about who his dad was and what he was like. Although Ryan was only 13-months-old when his father did not come home from war, he seems to resemble his father more and more every day. His mom, Caroline, taking moments to stop and watch her energetic son, can’t help but see some of the best qualities of her husband becoming more prominent in Ryan. His dad, Christopher, was a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who chose to become an MP so that he could focus more of his time on helping people. When you watch the way Ryan looks after his mom, that same caring heart shines through as a bright reflection of his father.
Almost an inseparable pair, Ryan and his mom recently took up Taekwondo together. Ryan had dreamed of becoming active within the marital arts for years, and after a trial class at a local Taekwondo facility, Ryan was hooked. Through the partnership of Angels of America’s Fallen and US Taekwondo Center, Ryan can now fulfill his dream of reaching black belt status—and he has the added bonus of having his mom as a sparring partner. In these classes, Ryan has dramatically grown over the past year in areas of focus, respect, leadership, and discipline—qualities that draw out a stronger resemblance to his father every day.
Throughout his involvement in the program with Angels of America’s Fallen, Ryan has tried out several sports before finding what he loves. If his interests change, Angels of America’s Fallen will change with him—all the way through age 18. We have no doubt that Ryan’s dad would be proud of the young man he is growing up to be.
