About Ricky

In 1986 Ricky was born in Virginia with a physical condition called osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), which causes his bones to break easily. Life has had many challenges given the severity of his condition, but through the loving work of the Lord, he has overcome. Ricky’s early days were challenging as he broke bones more frequently and childhood was difficult when learning to navigate life cautiously.

His parents went to great lengths to get Ricky into mainstream schooling as the system was attempting to place him in classes for children with disabilities. As Ricky advanced into adolescence he began to question life and dealt with depression, while coping with drugs, alcohol, and lust addictions. About the age of 19, he gave his life to Christ. Since then, he’s learned to rely on Christ daily and have contentment in the midst of his various struggles, which has given him strength to persevere.

After graduating high school, he courageously moved away from home to pursue different avenues of study such as drafting and psychology. Continuing to be driven, Ricky moved to New Jersey where he began to further study temperament counseling. He has a consistent passion for giving counsel and seeing lives changed for the glory of Christ.

In 2016 Ricky experienced one of the lowest points in his life when he attempted suicide; this was the catalyst which caused him to relocate to New Jersey. Upon moving to New Jersey, he was surrounded with friends who encouraged him to use his story for the encouragement of others. It was in 2019 when Ricky created a nonprofit ministry called Ricky Speaks Life. Through his ministry, Ricky encourages others, while raising funds to assist individuals in obtaining manual wheelchairs.

Ricky’s message is of hope in the midst of life’s trials. He says, “we all have hard things arise in life, but it’s how we handle them that matters.”

His hobbies include fishing, swimming, teaching himself new languages, and writing. Ricky loves to be social and hang with friends, so it is common to find him at a coffee shop with friends.