A Save Tony Verdugo Fundraiser will be held Monday, Dec. 7 at 10:30 p.m. at JET Nightclub in Las Vegas. The $20 donation goes directly to Verdugo.
Verdugo, one of Las Vegas nightlife’s founding fathers, is suffering in the wake of severe E. Coli poisoning earlier this summer. Verdugo is facing mounting medical bills and has been left so weak from kidney dialysis that he has lost 50 pounds and is unable to get around without the help of others. His sister, Shauna, has volunteered to donate a kidney to Verdugo, and as he works to get healthy enough to accept the kidney, he must continue his regimen of dialysis and expensive prescriptions. Like many in the nightlife industry, Verdugo does not have medical insurance.
The money being raised goes to two places: first, to continue to pay for the ongoing dialysis treatment, and secondly, to pay for the transplant itself. Even with Shauna donating her kidney, the surgery and transplant itself is an extremely expensive procedure.