A spaghetti feed and a raffle are planned on Sunday to raise money for a 13-month-old girl who will undergo surgery Monday to remove a tumor on her spine.
Staci Sull, who has organized the event, said that Emma Shields has been diagnosed with fibrolipoma, a condition often called “tethered spine.”
The growth prevents the baby from crawling and walking, Sull said. With successful surgery, Sull said, Emma should be crawling and walking in a relatively short time. Without the surgery, she said, Emma likely would be paralyzed by the time she is a teenager.
Emma’s parents, Karyn and Shannon Shields of Olpe, will take her to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for what is estimated to be a 4-hour procedure.
The spaghetti luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the AutoGlass Center, 2910 W. Highway 50.
“We tried to plan it as people got out of church, they could come and go,” Sull said.
The meal will include spaghetti, bread, green beans, salad, and dessert, all catered by Courtney Graves of Got Your Attention Catering & Event Coordinating.
The cost will be $5 per plate, and raffle tickets for donated prizes will be available for $1 a ticket. Winners need not be present when their names are drawn.
All proceeds from both fundraisers will go to Emma and her family for expenses related to the surgery, Sull said.
People who want to donate a prize for the drawing or donate money to the family may call Sull at (620) 475-3953.