The Tipp City woman is doing anything but that, advocating for others with breast cancer and serving as the chair of the Breast Wishes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to those who have been diagnosed with the disease.
The organization has granted 327 wishes since it was founded in 2015, and it is on track to reach its goal of fulfilling 500 wishes by the end of next year, she said.
Hillman, 71, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 1986, and then again 11 years later. Through the years she has undergone a lumpectomy, mastectomy and reconstruction.
Her latest diagnosis came last year in the form of metastatic breast cancer, first found in her stomach and also discovered in her skull, clavicle, thoracic spine, rib and pelvis. Her latest PET scan showed no visible metastatic breast cancer; however, it is prevalent in her bone marrow.
She has decided to decline further chemotherapy and instead focus on living life to its fullest.
“This is something I’m going to live with for the rest of whatever life I’m given,” she said.
That life has been dedicated to helping others. Hillman was the founder and chief executive officer of Hillman Associates, through which she offered fundraising, strategic planning and board development services for nonprofit organizations for 37 years before retiring and closing the business in 2020.
She also was recently named caregiver of the year by the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, and last year she was named the outstanding volunteer fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Greater Dayton Region Chapter.
Even as Hillman fights her own battles, she finds joy as she helps others, said Amy Suber, who serves on the board of the Breast Wishes Foundation and nominated Hillman as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem.
“It’s part of her life and so important for her to help others and give back, to be the shining light that she is to the community and others,” Suber said.
Suber, of Dayton, also said that Hillman has done much to further the reach of Breast Wishes, helping the group reach its own goals and grant more wishes.
Hillman said she was attracted to the organization’s mission of bringing joy to those with breast cancer locally. The foundation serves those in Montgomery and surrounding counties, granting wishes that average about $1,500.
That wish could be anything from a trip to renew wedding vows to a remodeled bathroom to a new dining room table to create memories around.
“To be able to find that hope amidst all you’re going through in treatment is really a critical component of feeling better,” she said.
Detection is helping to find breast cancer earlier, she said, and breast cancer found early is very treatable.
“Get your mammogram,” Hillman said. “That’s the bottom line.”
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