Cael Ryan Uzuanis was born Feb 10, 2001 at Edwards Hospital in Naperville Illinois. He was an absolutely gorgeous baby and I have the pictures to prove it. The first half of his childhood was spent in the suburbs of Chicago. I knew from a very early age Cael was destined for a life full of adventure. He loved exploring the woods, riding ATVs and motorcycles, climbing to the very top of the tallest tree he could find, running out in the rain as a thunder storm was approaching, and absolutely loved massive bonfires.
Cael learned to talk at a fairly young age and he showed great signs of intelligence so I was very surprised when his 1st grade teacher came to me with serious concerns about Cael’s ability to learn. He was just not keeping up with the other children. I couldn’t understand it. Even in first grade, Cael and I would have conversations about philosophy, politics, space exploration (his favorite topic) and so many other complex ideas. I found Cael to be incredibly intelligent. At first I thought his teacher must be wrong, but she was so concerned that I arranged to have Cael tested at the Chicago Neurological Society. The testing was so thorough and extensive, it took a total of 18 hours over 3 days.
Cael was found to be in the lower 4 percentile in his ability to learn. He was severely dyslexic. He could retain anything he heard but reading for him was like trying to move a mountain. Over time in the public school system, which is not designed for minds like his, he completely lost confidence in himself and actually started to believe that he was stupid. My heart would break each and every time he would say the words “I’m so stupid” because I knew how brilient he was, but nomatter how many times I told him how smart he was, the public schools had convinced him otherwise.
At age 8 Cael lost his mother to the prison system due to criminal behavior brought on by drugs and alcohol. I ended up moving him and his brothers and sister to Texas in search of a new life. Cael entered the public school system in Dripping Springs and although the Dripping Springs Independent Schools had a much better program for children with learning disabilities, Cael still struggled immensely. He had a very hard time making friends so 6th through 8th grade were very tough for him.
Things started to turn around for him in High School. He had a deep curiosity and desire to learn about technology, physics and astronomy and he was lucky enough to be there for the founding of the Spring Konstent, the Dripping Springs High School Robotics Club. It was there where he found himself and made the best friends anyone could hope for. He developed a relationship with a fine young lady and I can’t be certain but I’m pretty sure he would have married her when the time was right. His sense of adventure grew, going from dirt bikes and climbing trees to taking trips to Colorado and climbing mountains! He developed a fearless, take-on-the-world attitude and decided he was going to be an astronaut. He went from being a shy little boy with almost no self esteem to becoming a great man who was literally reaching for the stars.
His Nana, after seeing his true determination to become an astronaut, helped him take his first step by funding pilot lessons. Cael’s instructor said he had a natural talent for flying but he struggled initially with learning the radio commands……which were given in writing and were expected to be memorized. Instead of being deterred by this, Cael pushed through and after hundreds of hours of flight time learned all the commands perfectly………he just needed to hear them and use them.
Cael was scheduled to test for his solo pilot’s license in January of 2021. I think I was the proudest father in the world!!! I know lots of people get pilot’s licenses but Cael had overcome so much and I knew he was going to change the world someday!!! Not only that, he was just months away from achieving his Black Belt in Hapkido from one of the world’s most respected academies.
Cael died on December 31, 2020 after being struck by a semi as he was walking across I35 in Kyle, TX. He was at a new years eve party and I didn’t know it at the time but Cael’s sense of adventure took him into the world of hallucinogenic drugs. He had called me at around 11:00pm and I knew right away that something was not right. He was upset and asked me to come and get him. By the time I got there, he had left the party and wandered onto the expressway.
Our lives will never be the same without him but I want nothing more than to share his amazing spirit with the world and help others like him overcome whatever struggles they may have so they can spread their wings and FLY………..Just like Cael was meant to do.