About 450 people gathered Saturday at South Carroll High School to celebrate the life of MacKenzie Stuck, a 13-year-old Mount Airy girl who died Oct. 19 after a five-year battle with brain cancer.

The public event included family, friends and members of the community, many of whom shared memories about MacKenzie.

Baltimore disc jockey Reagan Warfield spoke, having met MacKenzie through her charity work to raise awareness about pediatric cancer, as did Dr. Ken Cohen, MacKenzie's oncologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

"She had an incredible spirit and an incredible willingness to try," Cohen said, adding that MacKenzie was a "tremendous spokesperson" for pediatric cancer research and a patient he'll remember for the rest of his life.

Chris Federico, president and co-founder of Cool Kids Campaign, a Maryland-based organization that helps children and families who are fighting cancer, met MacKenzie in spring 2006, not long after she was diagnosed with the first of four brain tumors she would endure.

"I instantly knew she was amazing. It was the smile, the confidence she had," Federico said. "She was an inspiration to so many people."

Federico highlighted the amount of time MacKenzie spent volunteering, speaking at events and writing articles to educate the public about her experience.

An especially poignant moment came when several of MacKenzie's childhood friends spoke, relaying memories that brought both laughter and tears from the crowd.

At one point, Angela Himmelberg, 13, of Mount Airy, apologized to the auditorium when she broke from her prepared remarks.

"It's a lot harder than I thought to talk about my best friend," she said.

Another friend, Emily Murphy, 13, of Mount Airy, said she once asked MacKenzie if she was scared.

"She said, ‘No,'" Murphy said, explaining that MacKenzie believed it was easier to go than to stay and deal with the aftermath.

MacKenzie's mother Sue Stuck says one reason she wanted to host a celebration of life event was to help provide some closure for a community that has been so supportive and helpful to the family.

"We could not have done this for five years without all this help," Stuck said.

Community support has been consistent, from the monetary donations for monstrous medical bills, to the more than 100 birthday cards sent to MacKenzie last April, to a time someone left fresh milk, juice and doughnuts on the Stucks' doorstep.

"She brought out the good in everybody," her mother said.

Stuck also noted that MacKenzie "touched a lot of lives" through her volunteer work with Johns Hopkins and other foundations. She hopes Saturday's event was in some way a "door opening — taking her legacy and moving forward."

A video of photos set to some of MacKenzie's favorite songs and a reception in the school cafeteria followed the speakers.

"I really wanted it to be what Kenzie wanted. Having a party was her favorite thing," Stuck said.

"It really was amazing to see," MacKenzie's father, Steve Stuck, said. "As I expected, she touched so many people in a positive and inspirational way. There were times I thought she should have been upset or angry, but she wasn't. She was the toughest. I want her influence to be viral."

MacKenzie's older sister Katie Stuck, 20, said her little sister "never stopped once to ask, ‘Why me?'" She conveyed her sister's strong spirit by telling how MacKenzie never wore wigs or hid her scars and even picked out Christmas gifts for family members in advance since she knew she would not be there to give them in person.

Guests wore purple in honor of MacKenzie's favorite color and Girl Scout Troop 1494 decorated Main Street in downtown Mount Airy with purple ribbons to mark the occasion.

Lisa Skelton, 39, of Mount Airy is a close family friend. She said the occasion was joyful, but also made people realize how much they miss MacKenzie.

"She had such a huge impact on so many levels," Skelton said.

After surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy and experimental stem cell transplants, the Stuck family learned in April that MacKenzie's brain cancer — originally diagnosed in December of 2005 — had returned. She died in October.

Through social networking, MacKenzie's battle was public. A Facebook page created by her parents, "Believe for MacKenzie Stuck," had more than 3,000 followers.

MacKenzie's parents also maintained a public CaringBridge blog (www.caringbridge.org/visit/mackenziestuck) to keep the community updated on her progress.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by sisters Katie, Lauren and Nikki Stuck. There was a private memorial service for family and close friends in October, soon after her death.