![]() Rita Tavernetti thanks everyone who came out to support her at the March 23 fundraiser. “We have been searching for months and are still looking for a living donor,” Brooke said. The qualifications consist of being between the ages of 18 and 55, competent and willing to donate, compatible blood match (Rita is blood type 0+ but 0- or 0+ are accepted), in good physical and mental health, without diabetes or drug/alcohol dependencies. The donor will have to be someone willing to donate 1/3 of their liver to Rita in order for her to heal and help her live a normal life again. The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself fully within three to four months. “We plan to be able to provide some financial help during this time for both Rita and her living donor,” Brooke said. The future living donor will also be unable to work and will need some time to recover. ![]() Once she can get the transplant, Rita and a family member will stay in an apartment in the Stanford vicinity for several months or more until the doctors are certain her body has accepted the liver transplant and she begins to thrive again. (Contributed) Finding a living donorĪlong with having autoimmune hepatitis, Rita’s PBC has progressed and caused her liver to be cirrhotic.Īlthough she has been under the care of a hepatologist at Stanford Medical Hospital for many years and they have prescribed medication to slow the progression of the disease, Rita was put on the liver transplant list a year ago with approximately 12,000 others.Īt a recent visit to Stanford, Rita was told she needed a transplant as soon as possible since the disease has progressed and had started to affect other organs. A sign from Rita Tavernetti thanks friends and family for their support. “Rita is lucky to have grown up with these families and on these lands her whole life, but now is asking for our help in finding a living donor, ‘her hero,’” Brooke said. Rita has worked with children with learning disabilities in Monterey County schools for more than 20 years, but recently she had to stop working due to her declining health. Rita, 59, lives in King City with her husband Paul Tavernetti, and together they have two adult children, daughter Brooke and son Josh. Along with Ted McCormack tending to his barley and wheat fields starting in the 1970s, Helen McCormack owned and operated the Bunte General Store in San Lucas for over 10 years. With Salinan Native American heritage, the McCormacks also have deep roots in the Jolon Valley, where the Salinan Indians were one of the first residents of the land. The Tavernettis have lived in Monterey County since the mid-1800s, with Leroy Tavernetti starting Tavernetti Motors, Vin Tavernetti owning Texaco Bulk Plant and Paul Tavernetti contributing to this day with his successful construction business, Two Team Construction. ![]() The Tavernetti and McCormack families have a long history in King City and the southern Monterey County area. Nearly 700 guests attend the fundraiser last Thursday inside the Orradre Building at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City. “What an amazing group of people that helped make this happen,” Brooke said. In total, more than $150,000 was raised that night to contribute toward Rita and her future living donor’s hospital and recovery expenses. ![]() The highlight of the evening was Rita’s famous homemade apple pie, which sold as a live auction item purchased by the Jerry Rava family for $16,000. There were also 134 unique silent auction items, 18 live auction items and more than 60 handmade desserts. Thursday’s fundraiser included live music by Brooks & Bee, Jasper & Jade and country duo Crossroads, while King City Young Farmers cooked the barbecued steak dinner and Knights of Columbus managed the no-host bar. “The love and support during this time has really shown through to Rita and her family.” “Hosting this fundraiser helped us spread the awareness of what it means to become a living liver donor, and also what it means to have a community that feels like family,” said Rita’s daughter Brooke Tavernetti, on behalf of the Tavernetti and McCormack families. With a turnout of nearly 700 guests, a fundraiser was held March 23 inside the Orradre Building at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City to benefit Rita McCormack Tavernetti, who has primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a chronic liver disease, and is in need of a liver transplant.įamily, friends, neighbors and community members came together to show their outpouring of support and love for Rita. KING CITY - Hundreds of South Monterey County residents gathered last Thursday to raise thousands of dollars for a good cause while showing what it means to support one of their own.
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