Ryder Evan Russaw was born lucky for no other reason than the fact that he was born into stardom. His mother is Faith Evan, a talented musician with a career that spans over two decades. She was the first woman to get signed to Bad Boy Records and has sold over 20 million records globally.
Her fans call her one of the best singers ever to do it, but that is not what Evan would call her best achievement. Her role as a mom occupies that position. Evan has four kids in total, and she loves all of them desperately. This time, our focus will be on her youngest child, Ryder Evan Russaw, whose life has not been the easiest.
Keep reading to find out more about him.
Who Is Ryder Evan Russaw?
Ryder Evan Russaw is the youngest child born to talented singer Faith Evan and her former husband, Todd Russaw. The songstress and Russaw went their separate ways when Ryder was just a child of four. However, they remain active, and he shares a close bond with them.
He has three other siblings, and they all get along well with each other. His older brother, Joshua Jahad Russaw, was born on June 8, 1998. Ryder’s other two siblings don’t share the same father with him.
Chyna Tahjere Griffin and Christopher Jordan Wallace were both products of Evan’s relationship with two different men. She welcomed Chayna with her then-boyfriend Kiyamma Griffin, while Christopher was born due to her union with rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
Does Faith Evan Have a Child With a Disability?
Yes, one of Faith Evans’ children has what some would call a disability. Although he was born healthy, Ryder developed autism as he got older. Evan was the first person to notice the change. Ryder was growing older, still not talking, and his mom suspected something was up.
She decided to visit pediatricians to get to the bottom of it, but they all thought she was being jumpy. In this manner, Evan’s diagnosis kept getting delayed. Eventually, Evan stooped to begging before her observations were taken seriously.
She said, “I had to beg his pediatrician to give him a diagnosis. He wanted me to wait and said all kids are different. But I had three older kids, and I knew my son should have been talking.”
Evan continued: “I begged him to give us a diagnosis because I felt something was wrong, and to take advantage of the early intervention and support available through the regional center, I needed a diagnosis at the age of three for early intervention.”
Since he was diagnosed with autism, life has not been rosy for Ryder Evan Russaw. For starters, some enemies of Evan have taken digs at Ryder’s mental condition because of feuds with his mom.
Of course, Evan never sits still and allows her son to be ridiculed. She is his most excellent defender, and not many have gotten away with attacking him. Another proof of Evan’s protectiveness was observed when she removed Ryder from school.
The doting mom had noticed he was not getting the attention he needed as an autistic child and did not very much like it. Evan had to battle with the Los Angeles Unified School District to make her point; ultimately, she pulled him.
Faith Evan Now Advocates for Kids Like Ryder
Ryder’s autism led Faith to form Ryder’s Room Inc., a foundation that advocates for children with autism. According to Evan, her ex, Stevie J, was the one who encouraged her to take the step.
She said: “Stevie said I really needed to do it because this is what we’re living. I want to raise funds to be able to donate it to families who may be in need. We started doing YouTube symposiums to help people who may not have the resources or idea where to go.”
The initiative has grown since it was founded, and they have been able to help many people. However, the main reason it was created was to ensure her son and many others like him enjoy the same quality of life as normal kids.
Other stars who have kids with autism, like Evan, include Brendan Fraser, John Travolta, and Sylvester Stallone.