The hardest part of Abby Haas's battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma is already over.
As of December, she was cancer-free. Her family, however, faces major medical bills.
On Feb. 10, a "mouse race" fundraiser is planned to help pay off those expenses at 54 Country.
The 21-year-old William Woods student was diagnosed last October after doctors caught sight of a suspicious mass during an unrelated stomach scan.
"She started chemo right away and did, I believe, three rounds of chemo," family friend LeeAnn Craighead said.
Haas had been studying graphic design at William Woods University. Despite taking a semester off to fight cancer, she hopes to graduate in May.
"She's very good at graphic designing," Craighead said. "She actually designed the T-shirts we sold for a fundraiser."
The T-shirts feature a giraffe outline and the words "Let your faith stand taller than Hodgkin's Lymphoma!"
While recovering from cancer is never easy, Craighead said Haas kept her head high and her faith tall, with the help of her mother, Megan, and other family and friends.
"She has been very strong-minded that 'This isn't going to get me down,'" Craighead said. "Hodgkin's is very curable, compared to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and that helps keep spirits up a bit knowing it's treatable."
After finishing chemotherapy in December, Haas was deemed cancer-free, but doctors followed up with multiple rounds of radiation therapy to be sure. The last one took place Monday.
Meanwhile, plans for the mouse race fundraiser were brewing.
Craighead and about half a dozen other parents organized the event. Her daughter Bethany has been friends with Haas since the two were in kindergarten.
"After the first of the year, they have to re-hit all the deductibles," Craighead said. "We don't really have a target amount to raise - just anything we can get has been really beneficial."
For those less familiar with mouse races, Craighead explained how it works.
"There's a gentleman from St. Louis called Tom Jones that has mice that he puts up for racing," she said.
Mice race six at a time, charging out of little boxes into six lanes. Attendees can place friendly bets on mice - or, for $50, name all the mice in a race. That $50 fee also comes with one entry ticket.
"It's always fun to bet on people you know," Craighead said, suggesting people should name mice after their friends (or enemies).
She said there will be three races throughout the evening. In addition, there's mouse roulette.
"You buy a deck of cards," Craighead said. "It's like a 50/50 pot. Wherever the mouse goes, that card wins."
Raffles and door prizes will run all evening.
Friends and community members - the Haases live in New Bloomfield - have come out of the woodwork to volunteer their help, Craighead said.
"It's a great fundraiser and a great community event," she said.
Tickets cost $15 in advance or $20 at a door and providean entry into the door prizes and access to snacks and beer. Because of the beer, the event is limited to those 21 and older.
Businesses can sponsor a table for $100 and receive two tickets, mention in the program and acknowledgement throughout the night.
For tickets, call 573-645-0569. Doors open at 6 p.m. Feb. 10 at 54 Country, 400 Gaylord Drive.