SCITUATE, Mass. — Ryan Cadres is using Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month this March to advocate for individuals with disabilities by sharing his story as a father and a longtime high school sports professional.
Cadres, who was born with cerebral palsy, has built a career as a coach, referee and statistician for teams in Hanson and Scituate.
“I think the biggest thing I want people to take away is, being disabled and being unable are two different things,” Cadres said.
Cerebral palsy affects the right side of his body, resulting in a permanent limp and limited use of his right hand. Despite these challenges, Cadres has spent over two decades in the local sports community, including eight years with the Scituate football program, while raising a family with his wife, Erika and their two children, Chloe and Owen.
Cadres was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects the right side of his body. While he played sports as a child in Hanson, his physical limitations eventually led him to transition into coaching.
“When I walk, I walk with a significant limp on my right side and my hand is kind of just always cupped,” Cadres said. “Growing up, I always knew I was a little bit different.”
He noted that the most difficult aspect is not the physical symptoms but the “mental part” regarding how he is perceived by others.
In 2001, basketball coach Bob Rodgers was hired at Whitman-Hanson and decided to keep Cadres on the staff as a freshman coach. Rodgers said he was impressed by the dedication Cadres showed toward helping students. “He doesn’t focus on what he can’t do, he looks at what he can do and he squeezes the sponge and he gets everything out of it,” Rodgers said.
Cadres, who later expanded his career into refereeing high school sports, said his passion for the work stems from his value for collaboration. “I think one of the reasons why I love it is because I’m a big person about team,” Cadres said. Cadres joined the Scituate football team as a statistician in 2019 after being hired by football coach Herb Devine. In the years since, the team has won four Super Bowls. Devine said that Cadres is open about his condition and serves as a model for balancing a career, a family and a disability. “And I think that’s inspirational, he just wants to be a coach, he wants to be part of the team, he wants to be part of something bigger than himself,” Devine said.
In his personal life, Cadres initially believed his disability might prevent him from getting married or having children. However, he met Erika Nest, a traveling nurse from Oregon, on Match.com on Aug. 10, 2010. Their first date was a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. Erika Cadres said that as a nurse, she was familiar with cerebral palsy, but it did not affect her view of him. “He was just a very personable person and I like him and he was easy to talk to and he seemed to like me,” she said. She added that they have lived together as a family for 12 years and the condition is simply a part of their “normal everyday life.”
The inspiration for Cadres to become a public advocate for cerebral palsy awareness began six years ago during a game of catch in the backyard with his son, Owen. Owen Cadres, who was 6 at the time, noticed his father switching his glove from one hand to the other to throw. This led to a conversation about disabilities. “I’m proud of him in letting people know that some people are different and some are the same,” Cadres said. Cadres said she is also proud of her husband’s work as an advocate, noting that it brings their family closer together.
Cadres said he continues to push himself professionally to prove that individuals with disabilities are capable of high-level work if given the chance. “People with disabilities, like all we ask for is an opportunity,” Cadres said. “If I’m given that opportunity, I can guarantee you that I’m going to work harder than most people because I feel like I have more to prove because I have this disability.”
Cadres manages a Facebook page where supporters can follow his advocacy efforts.
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