Sydney Stone, the 12-year-old Brentwood girl battling an incurable disease, was hospitalized this week due to complications, but plans for her community fundraiser are still in progress, and the family needs help.

The planned Sydney’s Journey Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14, and while raffle items are being assembled, some organizers have dropped from the project, leaving the food and utensils in limbo.

“I wish I could be out there planning and fundraising, but I need to be here with Sydney,” said Sydney’s mother Debi. “The people helping us with organizing the food and the plates and all that had to pull out, so what we’ve got right now is a date, a time, a venue and enough items for a skinny auction. I’m not sure how we’ll pull it off, but we’ll find a way, and hopefully Sydney will be feeling better and up to going to the event.”

Sydney was admitted to John Muir in Walnut Creek on Monday night as a result of daily vomiting since Christmas. Doctors have not been able to diagnose Sydney, who suffers from a complicated combination of disorders such as cyclical vomiting syndrome, tracheomalacia (weakness of the windpipe), and tachycardia (abnormally quick heart rate), but her team of specialists believes she is suffering from mitochondirial disease, which effects body cells. A $2,000 blood test is required to confirm this diagnosis, and the Stone family hopes the spaghetti feed will raise funds needed to fund the tests.

Debi said any and all donations are welcome. For the dinner, she’d like to serve guests spaghetti, salad, bread and a dessert, so cash donations or even grocery gift cards to Safeway or FoodMaxx would be greatly appreciated.

“Of course, it would be amazing if a local business could sponsor us or a restaurant could help with the catering, but even a gift card would make a huge difference,” Debi said. “We just want to do a buffet. Something low key and fun to help support Sydney’s Journey and promote awareness for mitochondrial disease.”

Since Sydney’s story first ran in the Press last month, Debi said she’s received monetary donations and messages of prayers and hope from the community, including strangers who have been touched by her daughter’s struggle, but she is hoping that items can be donated for the fundraiser so that the recent funds can stay in the bank and go toward Sydney’s pending tests.

The Sydney’s Journey Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Neighborhood Church, located at 50 Birch St. in Brentwood. Tickets are $10. Those interested in donating items to the fundraiser or making a monetary donation should e-mail Debi at sydneysjourney@gmail.com or visit www.helpsydney.info.