ELEANOR - When Jarad Hayson steps into the show ring Monday night, he knows it will be an emotional moment.
Hayson, 17, has shown hogs at the Putnam County Fair for nine years. But Monday's competition will be different.
This year he steps into the ring for the 10th time, and this year he does it cancer free.
Hayson was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August 2015, a cancer of the blood which affects white blood cells. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in December that year - his brother Andrew was an exact match for the transplant. The operation was a success, but his continued fight against leukemia forced him to take a year off from showing pigs in 2016.
"I didn't get to show last year, so this is my first year coming back," Hayson said, smiling. "I came down here last year just to watch and support my friends, but it was so hard to sit there and watch and not be able to do it."
Hayson, along with dozens of other 4-H and FFA students, will show his 261-pound-pig named Bugs Bunny in a hog show at 8 p.m.
He has worked with Bugs Bunny since early spring, ensuring the pig was the perfect build and can maneuver through the arena with ease.
Hayson is excited to be back with his friends, but even more excited to compete again.
A printed sign above Bugs Bunny's stall at the fair has a quote from Hayson that reads: "I always win, just ask cancer."
He hopes months of hard work and determination will pay off yet again for him Monday.
Like many other students in 4-H and FFA, he's had to learn time management skills - balancing caring for his pig, his school work, extracurricular activities and a social life.
"Coming up for a new kid showing animals, when you get into middle school and high school, you need to start learning time management and responsibility. Soon, you're not going to have mom with you," he said. "You have to take care of that animal. If you let it go, that's your own fault."
It's not just about responsibility. It's about bonding with an animal.
Hayson sells his pigs in the annual market auction at the fair each year, The sale is often a bittersweet moment for many kids parting with the animals they've spent months bonding with.
Hayson hops over the red gate in his pig's stall and likes to crawl around the floor with the pig and play with him, almost like a puppy.
"I get close with my pigs," he said. "One year I had a pig, and I would sit down and it would come up and jump on my lap and lay on me. He'd climb on my back."
For Hayson, the best part of showing pigs is the relationships he builds with the other 4-H and FFA students.
Friends like Ty Parkins, an FFA student at Buffalo High School, who has shown pigs alongside Hayson for the last eight years. Parkins will show his 267-pound-pig Daxter in Monday's show.
"It's something that gets you prepared," Parkins said. "It gets you around other people. You have to be extremely responsible. We have about 45 people in our FFA chapter and we're all friends."
For Jarad's mother Kim Hayson, the people her son has met in 4-H and through the Putnam County Fair aren't just friends - they're like extended family members.
"When he was sick, the local 4-H groups raised money for him. They sent cards. Our local 4-H group - Trailblazers - they came in and mowed the yard, cleaned our house, brought food to us," his mother said. "It's like a family. It's very family-oriented."
Hayson plans to put the money he receives from the sale toward paying for college. He hopes to become a pediatric oncologist some day to help other kids in their battles against cancer.
As a mom, Kim Hayson said she couldn't be more proud of her son. After fighting against cancer, she said she's ready to see him back in the show ring fighting a different battle - one he's loved since he was a young kid.
"I've got pictures of him when he was so sick. It's scary as a mom," she said. "Monday night is going to be very emotional."
The Putnam County Fair's Market Hog Show will take place at 8 p.m. in the Show Arena at the fairgrounds in Eleanor.
For more information about the Putnam County Fair, visit putnamcountyfairwv.com.
Reach Carlee Lammers at Carlee.Lammers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1230 or follow @CarleeLammers on Twitter.