T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Alicia (Woosley) Mehaffy, center, is pictured with her parents, Calvin and Linda Woosley, at their home in Beaman. A community dance benefit for Mehaffy, who is battling a terminal brain tumor, will be held at Midnight Ballroom (1700 S. Center St. Ste. A2) in Marshalltown on Saturday evening from 6 to 10 p.m.

BEAMAN — Alicia (Woosley) Mehaffy believed she had beat breast cancer and entered a permanent remission last year. But a grand mal seizure back in October revealed a much more difficult situation to overcome.

Mehaffy, a BCLUW graduate and mother of three who has lived most of her life in the Marshalltown area other than a few years in Omaha and Council Bluffs, found out she had an inoperable brain tumor not long after the seizure, and she’s been primarily staying with her parents, Calvin and Linda Woosley, at their Beaman home since then. Randy Rosenbalm, a longtime friend of Mehaffy’s — with some assistance from another of her close friends, Angela French — has helped to arrange a Community Dance benefit event at the Midnight Ballroom from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday to assist with her expenses not covered by insurance. The cost to attend is $10 (children four and under get in free), and there will be various other ways to donate including apps like Cashapp and Venmo or at the following link https://americasmusictogo.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawG–0lleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWCIOm24HhZwqR1BT7qU-_DQt7lQwgZELNAX40RWO38AOKCM_O_DakVXmQ_aem_akwEjP4M2doVBiLFNPUCCw with “Cancer” in the event date section.

Rosenbalm is a local DJ who owns America’s Music to Go.

“I thought ‘Well, I’ve got speakers and I’ve got music, so let’s have a (party),'” he said. “And then I contacted Midnight Ballroom and partnered with her, and we just ran with it. Luisa is great. I just want to thank the community for all of their support with all of this. It’s been phenomenal.”

It was 2023 when Mehaffy, 45, first received the breast cancer diagnosis, and after going through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, she was told the disease had been removed from her body earlier this year. She continued immunotherapy up until the fateful seizure in October, which resulted in trips to Allen Hospital in Waterloo — where she learned of the tumor after a CT scan — and eventually University of Iowa Healthcare and Clinics (UIHC) for 11 days to undergo further treatment.

Her recollection of that period is hazy, but Mehaffy was told the cancer had spread through her lymph nodes. She went through the process of breast reconstruction and also learned of a large blood clot in her pelvic area and bleeding around the brain tumor.

Her mother said there have been more radiation treatments, and doctors are planning to put Mehaffy on a new chemotherapy drug every three weeks. While there isn’t much else to be done beyond hoping and praying for the best, Linda Woosley is excited about the upcoming event.

“Randy is a friend of Alicia’s, and he’s the one who reached out to her. And I thought it was wonderful,” she said.

Mehaffy also spoke highly of her friend and the effort he’s making to lend her a hand during a difficult time.

“He said ‘It’s gonna be very big, very big for you just because of the type of person you are, and a lot of people know the loving, caring person you are and that you’ll bend over backwards. You clean for people and don’t expect anything in return. And people are gonna see that and people are gonna remember that about you from past jobs and all that stuff,'” she said.

Midnight Ballroom Owner Luisa Ortega graciously agreed to host and will also be making a sizable contribution to the cause out of her sales that evening.

“Honestly, I think it’s just the fact we’re so close to Christmas, and it seems like there’s a lot of stuff going on. It just seems like there’s been tragedy after tragedy, and you can’t help everybody,” she said. “But if you can do something to at least help somebody in that kind of situation, I think ‘Why not?'”

Mehaffy also shouted out local woman Kandy Fisher for nominating her to receive gift cards for Kwik Star and Hy-Vee through a promotion on KIX 101.1, and in turn, even in the face of her own struggle, she donated to Fisher’s son Blaine’s annual “Heart of Gold” toy drive.

The last several months have been hard for Mehaffy, her parents, her kids and their father, her ex-husband Shaun, but she’s received plenty of support and heard from old friends who shared memories that made her smile. And Linda is happy to report that her daughter has gotten herself right with God, despite the ups and downs she’s faced even before the cancer diagnosis and the struggles she’s endured attempting to forgive herself for past transgressions.

But on Saturday night, the tunes will be on and the mood will be festive, with attendees of all ages invited to dance the night away and help out a beloved member of the community. To learn more about the event, which is open to the public, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/444360341779811/.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.