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Former Warrior of the North 'pays it forward'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Senior Airman Taylor Lilley has a heart for service to others.

The 24-year-old native of Lynchburg, Va., grew up in a household where volunteering for a variety of projects and organizations, as well as church mission trips, was a way of life.

That's why when her mother, Millie McDowell, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2010, just one week after Lilley's arrival at Grand Forks AFB, she determined she still wanted to do something to help others around her in their fight against cancer, even if it couldn't directly benefit her mom.

"I personally struggled with being so far away and not being able to help her as much as I wanted to while being in Grand Forks," Lilley said. "It occurred to me that just because I couldn't help her as she underwent treatment, there would surely be other cancer patients in the local area that I could assist."

That is what led Lilley to volunteer at the Altru Cancer Center in the city of Grand Forks once a week.

There, she noticed a concerning trend: a few patients were unable to pay for their own meals at the hospital. When she brought it to the attention of the nurses, they offered to pay for the meals out of their own pockets.

After seeing this, Lilley came up with an idea for a fundraiser that would help support the patients.

"Senior Airman Alan Phair (319th Security Forces Squadron) and I ordered wristbands and sold them for $5 each, resulting in a profit of more than $500," she said. "We chose wristbands because it was cost effective and could yield a higher profit margin. We also hoped the idea would catch on quicker when people witnessed others wearing them in support of cancer awareness."

For her efforts, Lilley was presented the Diamond Sharp Award and an Air Force Achievement Medal shortly before her humanitarian reassignment to the 633rd Security Forces Squadron at Langley AFB, Va., to be near her mother, whose condition has taken a turn for the worse.

After numerous bouts of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and back-and-forth assessments of remission and re-diagnosis, the cancer turned malignant and began spreading to other organs in her body. Her diagnosis is now terminal.

Lilley said her family is managing the situation the best way they know how; her brother has returned home after completing his service to the Navy, and her father takes time off work to help her get to and from her medical appointments. Lilley is also doing her best to help support her mother, with the help of her new unit.

"My squadron here has been very supportive by allowing me time off to help my family," she said. "It is immeasurable how much it means to me to just be able to spend time with her."

Lilley said her passion for helping people continues to live on.

"I hope that I will be able to raise awareness at Langley AFB for cancer awareness to support the local patients here," she said. "Because of my schedule and frequent trips to Lynchburg, I'm struggling to find the time to get it started, but it will happen one day. My mom's strength and struggle motivate me further, and have shown