Caysen’s family is, from left, father Kyle, brother Cohen and mother Caasi.
Photo by Dakota Locker
BROWNSTOWN — Caysen Robertson is a sophomore tennis player at Brownstown Central High School who deals with obstacles all of the time.
Robertson doesn’t let that stop him from competing for the Braves and making an impact on those around him.
He deals with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, but that doesn’t change him from living a normal life. He recently had brain surgery to improve his quality of life and is scheduled to have another surgery in the future.
Last Thursday, the Braves player was surprised by the enormous amount of generosity from peers, parents and people who had never even met him.
Brownstown hosted Southwestern (Hanover) and held a special celebration for Robertson. The entire celebration was a surprise to him and his family. They received donations from Southwestern tennis, Brownstown tennis parents and a few Brownstown varsity teams and parent groups to help with the next surgery. There also were some private donations.
“It was very surprising to me. It definitely meant a lot to me to be able to see that,” Robertson said.
Robertson’s mother, Caasi, also was asked about the support on Thursday. Her phone was getting blown up when she wasn’t there on time.
“I thought it was weird. My phone was getting blown up with notifications,” she said. “I cried after realizing it, the generosity of the community and the parents. Even parents and strangers who had never even heard Caysen’s story blew us away. It’s good to know there are still good people in the world.”
Braves tennis coach Donnie Thomas spoke about Robertson.
“He is one tough kid. I’m glad we were able to celebrate a moment for him. He’s so full of life, and it was a very nice gesture from everyone who donated,” Thomas said.
Robertson has been involved with tennis since sixth grade with this being his fifth year in the sport. He was asked how he got involved and any advice he might give to kids who are hesitant to try new sports.
“I came to a new school, and I was looking for something to do and get involved with,” he said. “I just happened to get into tennis. If I had to say anything, I would say just don’t give up. You just have to get through it day by day. I’ve had a great group of people behind me and great doctors that have helped me be able to do what I want to do.”
His father, Kyle, and mother said they have a multitude of things they love about him.
“For me, it’s his passion,” Kyle said. “It doesn’t matter if Caysen is showing pigs or playing tennis or he’s with his brother and sister. He has a passion for life that a lot of people don’t have.”
Caasi added to his outlook on life.
“For everything Caysen has been through, he has always been a fighter,” she said. “He shows that no matter what is going on that you can do what you want. He is such a great kid with a great outlook on life.”
“We cannot stress enough about how proud we are of the person he is in general,” she added. “He is such a good and strong kid that is full of life.”
Robertson will continue playing with the Braves. After this season, he still has two full seasons left of high school varsity tennis.