North Texas grandfather organizes fundraiser for his 3-year-old granddaughter

The grandfather of a North Texas girl who is fighting a deadly disease is doing what he does best to help her get the treatment she needs.

A fundraiser called 'Mudbugs for Mabel', scheduled for Saturday, May 24, in Lewisville, will hopefully raise money for medical expenses that the 3-year-old girl's family needs.

"It's kind of hard to explain leukemia to a 3-year-old so we're using the term the big sick," said Mabel's mother Sarah Manchey.

The 3-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in April, forcing her mother, a kindergarten teacher, to take leave from work because Mabel needs regular chemotherapy treatments. The medicine and other treatments Mabel needs are costly.

"It definitely has us a little concerned, but you do what you do for your kids, but you figure it out, and you make it work," said Manchey.

Mabel's grandfather owns a Cajun food store in Lewisville, where someone suggested a crawfish boil as a fundraiser for the family.

"I went 'oh my gosh that's a fantastic idea' so it was a God thing," said Mabel's grandfather Billy Howell.

'Mudbugs for Mabel will be on Saturday, May 24th from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Cajun Turkey Company.

"When he suggested the idea, I thought it was awesome, it's our favorite time of year with crawfish," said Manchey.  

Mabel plans to be there wearing a smile and what's become her signature pink chemo cap.

A family relying on a love for each other and a love of crawfish to help a little girl overcome 'the big sick.'