Five months ago, Montgomery City resident Mackenzie Hagemeier lost her five-year battle with cancer.

Now, family members have started a foundation in her name to help people who are battling the disease.

The Mackenzie Hagemeier Foundation was recently created in honor of the longtime Montgomery County resident, who died in October with ovarian cancer. Family members are raising money to help provide financial support to other families who have cancer.

“We’re working with other groups that have people who have cancer in our area,” said Lauren Fortmann, Hagemeier’s older sister and one of the organizers of the fundraiser. “If people want to reach out and give me names and addresses of the people who know who have cancer and that’s OK with that, then we’re going to send that money to them so they can use it for whatever they need.”

Fortmann said at first, family members came up with the idea of presenting a scholarship in honor of her sister. But, they later decided that they just wanted to give back to the community.

“Before she passed away, I talked with her about doing something because she wanted to make sure we would never forget her,” Fortmann said. “I was like, ‘Hey, this would be a great way to not forget her and other people.’ There are people who have been through this and understand because we understand both sides. She was literally diagnosed and had it for five years. We’ve seen her ups and downs and have been with her the whole way, so we definitely know how it affects the family and the person as well.”

Fortmann said there will be a fundraiser at Yardbirds in Montgomery City in May in which 50 percent of the proceeds for each purchase will go towards the Mackenzie Hagemeier Foundation. There will also be a barbecue at Yardbirds. Fortmann is Yardbirds’ owner.

Fortmann said the mission of the foundation is to let cancer victims know that they are not alone in the fight of the disease, which killed more than 600,000 people last year.

“We wanted to make sure people understand that and be more aware of it so we can help other people make them feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, there are actually people out there who go through this and care about us.’” Fortmann said.

Hagemeier was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in 2019. Three months before she died, a fundraiser was held at Knights of Columbus Hall that included a whole hog meal with sides and dessert and a silent auction. About $30,000 was raised from the event, which drew more than 100 people.

“She was very thankful that people did that,” Fortmann said. “She was surprised by how many people in the community have cancer and didn’t know about it, people who didn’t want people to know about it and how they just feel alone once you get diagnosed with it.”

For more information about the Mackenzie Hagemeier Foundation, visit its Facebook page and email mackenziehfundraiser@gmail.com.