Riley is a 17-year-old Junior from Kirbyville who suffered a stroke on June 30, 2018 while fishing with his dad. He was airlifted to the Cardiovascular ICU at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston on July 1st when he suffered severe heart failure. As of January 2019, he is still at Texas Children’s Legacy Tower for several more months.
Before Riley’s stroke, he was active at Kirbyville High School in UIL, the fishing team, band, and National Honor Society. He represented the Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative in the Government-in-Action Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. in mid June of 2018 where he had the honor of placing the wreath upon the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
In August 2018, Riley received a pacemaker and LVAD, and has battled multiple urgent medical issues since. Despite setbacks, Riley’s spirit is strong, and he fights hard every day. There’s hope that with aggressive physical and occupational therapy, he’ll be moved out of the ICU into rehabilitation.
The 2019 CFST Shoot-Out will benefit Riley Carter and his family.
