For almost five years, Montgomery City resident Mackenzie Hagemeier has struggled with ovarian cancer.

She has made many visits to hospitals, gone through many rounds of chemotherapy and dealt with medical bills that are continuing to pile up.

So on July 13, the Hagemeier family decided to put together a fundraiser benefit at the Knights of Columbus Hall that would raise money to help the 28-year-old beat cancer.

Thirty minutes before the fundraiser began at 4 p.m., many people started showing up. There were more than 100 people at the event after the first hour.

That definitely surprised Hagemeier, who sat in a chair during the entire four-hour event.

“Mackenzie wasn’t expecting a big turnout at all,” said Brendon Hagemeier, Mackenzie’s husband. “She was like, ‘Oh, I’m just me. We’re not going to get a bunch of people.’ I asked her if this was more than you expected. She was like, ‘I would never have thought in a million years that this would be a turnout like this.’”

The Hagemeier family started planning on the fundraiser in late May. There were donation boxes in several local businesses, including Sugar and Spice Laura’s Delights.

“Michelle (Fortmann) came to me when I was in the hospital and asked me if it would be OK to do a benefit,” Mackenzie Hagemeier said. “We were going to do one in the very beginning when I first got diagnosed, but I was so sick that my family decided that we should wait. So we waited.”

The fundraiser included a whole hog meal with sides and dessert as a free will donation. There was a silent auction with 51 items and a silent auction with 48 items. T-shirts that said, “In This Family Nobody Fights Alone,” were sold.

While sitting in her chair, Hagemeier got visits from many family members and friends.

“It’s amazing how this community comes together,” she said.

Hagemeier will turn 29 on Aug. 28. She said one of her wishes is to be healthy again.

“It’s been a long road, but I’m very hopeful. I’m hopeful that I can eat again,” Hagemeier said. “I’m hopeful that everything can come back to life. I just want to live a normal life again. It’s hard to be the girl with cancer all of the time. People felt pity for me for so many years. Now, it’s like I want the attention to be on somebody else.”

Hagemeier has lived in Montgomery County for most of her life. She graduated from Montgomery County High School in 2014. Five years later, she married Brendon.

But just three months after her wedding, Hagemeier’s life changed after she found out she had stage 4 ovarian cancer.

“I didn’t have any symptoms at all until they already protruded through my colon,” Hagemeier said. “Then, I was having abdominal pain and lost control of my bowels. I previously had three colonoscopies from the beginning of the year until November and they all came back clear. So whenever it (the cancer) came, it came fast and hard.”

Brendon Hagemeier first met Mackenzie in 2011 when they were attending MCHS. They started dating the next year.

Brendon said he was surprised when he found out about the news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis.

“It was definitely something we weren’t expecting, especially having a two-year old at the time,” Brendon said. “It was a drastic life change that we weren’t expecting.”

Hagemeier recently found out that her cancer has progressed and has been placed on a feeding tube. She also can no longer work. Hagemeier said she has gone through a rough journey since her cancer diagnosis.

“It’s very hard,” Hagemeier said. “My mind is not where it should be. It’s definitely been harder as the years go on to continue to stay positive. In the midst of so many good things happening, there are so many bad things happening, too. I feel like I take five steps forward and 10 steps back. As the years go on, it’s harder to stay positive for sure.”

But Hagemeier is happy that she is still getting love and support from her family.

“I know they’re right there with me,” Hagemeier said. “I rely on them really. I have a six-year old son (Easton). I know I have to push through for him and be strong for him.”