Welcome to the Riley & Friends Foundation   ~ visit us at www.karracing.net

Our web site was designed in honor of our 5 year old daughter, Riley Nikole Langenstein. She was born 9 weeks early on August 6, 2002 at CMC Northeast Medical Center in Concord, N.C. At birth she suffered a massive brain bleed and a stroke. The first diagnosis that we received was very dim. We were told by the doctors that there was a chance that Riley may not live and if she did survive she would be much depleted, never using her arms or legs and that she would have extreme mental disorders and possible retardation. With a lot of prayers and continues on going testing along with many  ,spinal taps and a 2 month stay in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at CMC Northeast Medical Center, Riley defied all odds and a grim prognosis to live with the best quality of life that can be expected. Beth and Charlie Langenstein (Riley’s parents) credit the excellent medical care they received through the first crucial months of her life; Riley was diagnosed with only a mild version of cerebral palsy. Just recently Riley’s parents discovered that she also has been diagnosed with epilepsy as a result of her injuries from birth.

The last 5 years have been an adjustment period for Riley and her family to say the least. Doctors, hospitals, and therapy have been the path to Riley meeting so many other children who share the same misfortunes. Riley has endured many painful procedures and a lot of anxious moments to progress the way she has. She is truly Beth and Charlie’s miracle and that she has brought so many special and memorable people into our lives and we would not change a thing other then the pain that Riley and other children like her endure. There are so many other children like Riley that were not as lucky and did not receive the fortune to do as well as she has.

Riley’s parents, Beth and Charlie Langenstein, wanted to recognize and bring awareness to Riley and her friends disabilities so they started the Riley & Friends Foundation. Using their race team Kar Racing they thought to spread the word about Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy at the many racing events through out the year and all throughout the USA and Canada. Riley & Friends Foundation is a NON Profit Organization and they plan to have all sorts of Fund Raisers to benefit the local Children’s hospital and help those less fortunate.

Riley & Friends Foundation logo was designed by Riley herself. Weebee and Shebee are characters that Riley has been drawing exactly the same since she was 2 years old. She first made them up while drawing on her magna doodle and on paper during her stays in the hospital and during many of her doctor’s visits.  Riley is very artistic and detailed as most of these children are. She enjoys life to the fullest. So we invite you to join Riley and her parents at Kar Racing to bring awareness of these disabilities.

Please support the Riley & Friends Foundation so other children who have these disabilities and the children who unfortunately will be born with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy will have a chance to strive and flourish into a fun and pain free childhood. One of the first fund raising projects is to sell tickets to win Riley’s Racer! This is the race car that Santa Claus brought to Riley last Christmas. Why not help other children and to raise awareness to Riley’s disabilities. So if you get a chance to purchase a ticket or two to help launch the Riley & Friends Foundation. It is all about the children.
As fate would have it Riley suffered an epilepsy spell 3 days after Christmas and had to spend some time in the hospital. With all of this happening the idea to form Riley & Friends was formed.
To learn more about the Riley & Friends Foundation go to www.karracing.net ~ Also visit United Cerebral Palsy at www.UCP.org and the Epilepsy Foundation at www.epilepsyfoundation.org to learn more about the disabilities that Riley and her friends are fighting.

Also watch for Weebee and Shebee on a race car at a track near you!