Cheyenne Widenhofer is a 13 year old Ford City resident who was diagnosed with vasculitis this spring. She needs a kidney transplant.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes, it takes a village to support one.

Or several villages, as a benefit dinner this Saturday at the Herman Volunteer Fire Company hall has shown.

The spaghetti dinner follows a plasma and blood drive held for Cheyenne Widenhofer, a 13-year-old Ford City resident who developed vasculitis in April.

Vasculitis is the inflammation of blood vessels, according to the Mayo Clinic, that results in restricted blood flow and organ damage.

Ultimately, Cheyenne will need a kidney transplant.

“She has always been very healthy,” said Janelle Shaffer, Cheyenne’s mother and a Butler County native. “Very active.”

The Vitalant blood and plasma drive is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the fire hall at 789 Herman Road in Butler. Takeout spaghetti dinners will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $10 a meal.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Friday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.