Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Castaneda.
Hi Ricardo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Ricardo Castaneda. I’m 25 years old, and I went fully blind at age 15 due to retinal detachments caused by a genetic disease passed down from my mother called Rosa Syndrome. With my mother pushing me forward and the support of my entire family, from my grandparents to my uncle, I learned how to rise above everything thrown my way. I spent long days in school wishing I could just learn math instead of orientation and mobility, or wishing I could read thousands of pages just to avoid another lesson on how to use a computer without seeing it. But all that struggle prepared me for the moment blindness became permanent.
Before losing my sight, I played everything: wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, swim team, goalball, you name it. But when the doctors told me I would eventually go blind, and after countless surgeries and constant medications, I reached a breaking point. At 14, I told my mom I just wanted to be a kid. I stopped the medications, stopped the appointments, and focused on living my life and playing sports. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’ve never regretted it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth. One moment I’ll never forget happened when I was around eight or nine years old, playing soccer at an indoor complex in Fort Worth called Game On. My cousin and I were racing off the field because a game was about to start. I saw a door, or at least I thought I did. It looked like a double door, and I swore I was winning. The next thing I knew, everything went black. I woke up on the floor with a bump on my forehead the size of a horn, and my aunt telling me maybe I should sit down before I got hurt even worse.
That was one of the hardest days of my life, realizing I couldn’t play the way my only boy cousin could. But the person who saved me was my mother. When I got home and she heard what happened, she pulled me aside and said, “Ricky, you need to go back out there and get hurt again and again. This is part of our lives. We have to figure out how to get through blindness without restricting our way of living.” Those words have never left me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today, I do a little bit of everything. I translate English to Spanish and Spanish to English. I am a USABA, Google, FIFA, and LA Galaxy ambassador. I’m also a starter for the USA Blind Soccer Team. On top of that, I’m the co-founder of MetroBlaze, a nonprofit dedicated to making sure no blind person is left behind and that individuals with disabilities have access to sports and opportunities.
This work is what I’m most proud of. Every time I put a ball in a kid’s hands, I see myself, the scared nine-, eleven-, or twelve-year-old who didn’t know what the future held. Growing up, the only person I could relate to was my mother, and even she couldn’t read braille or travel the world independently. But she knew how to fight for her kids. Following in her footsteps, I want to show others that life is never over because of a disability. There is no better feeling than seeing a child and their parent play together for the first time.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
For me, risk is a daily part of life. Every time I walk out my front door, I’m scared, terrified, even of what might happen. I risk getting lost, I risk getting hurt, but I still choose to take those risks because my life isn’t over. Blindness didn’t end my story; it started a new chapter. I believe risk-taking is essential because the world has so much more to offer if you’re willing to step into the unknown.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.metroblazebaotx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ggoldenricky88/?igsh=MWVsYTd3bmdqemdscw%3D%3D#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ggoldenricky88
