The Stouffer family, of Maple Park, is trying to get a sneak preview of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" to finish a family tradition of watching all the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" films together, before Scott Stouffer (far left) dies of cancer. His daughter, Jessy, (right) launched a social media campaign dubbed #HobbitMovieLastRequest. (Family Photo)

CHICAGO (CBS) — A far west suburban woman has been trying to get a sneak peek at the final Hobbit movie, for a very good reason.

WBBM Newsradio’s Nancy Harty reports, like many people, Jessy Stouffer and her family have a tradition of watching The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies around the holidays.

“My dad was really into the books, and the movies, for both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and once the movies came out, he wanted us to go and kind of all see them together,” she said.

The family from Maple Park has been looking forward to the final installment, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but it doesn’t come out until mid-December and the 21-year-old Northern Illinois University student said she’s worried her father won’t live to see it.

Her dad, 57-year-old Scott Stouffer, has cancer of the endocrine system, and stopped treatment months ago, because it wasn’t working.

“We just want to have time where we can sit and finish the trilogy together as a family, and just kind of have that closure,” she said.

So Jessy launched a social media campaign, asking the movie studios to give them a copy in advance., She posted a video on YouTube, and asked people to help spread the word to the directors, creators of the movie by using the hashtag #HobbitMovieLastRequest.

Jessy said the family thought about going through traditional foundations, but wanted to surprise her dad, so opted for their own campaign, and she’s been pleasantly surprised by the results.

“It’s been amazing just how many people have used it, and have been trying to get it out there,” she said. “We couldn’t ask for anything better; and we’re very, very grateful. It’s very gracious of all these people who are just trying to help – that we don’t even know.”

While she hasn’t heard from the movie studios, she has heard the campaign has spread to a couple different countries.

MGM, the distributor for The Hobbit films, has not responded to requests for comment.