Michelle Hills

Michelle Hills was a visionary advocate, treasured friend, and founding member of The White Ribbon Project. Her courage, compassion, and determination to improve the lives of people affected by lung cancer helped shape our organization from its earliest days.

Drawing on nearly 30 years of healthcare leadership and her own experience living with ALK-positive lung cancer, Michelle was never afraid to challenge healthcare systems, bring people together, or champion underserved communities.

In 2018, she founded the Living with Lung Cancer support group at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, creating a space for people affected by lung cancer to find connection and support. She understood the power of collaboration and helped build partnerships across organizations, including those that made a successful lung cancer screening billboard campaign in rural southeastern Kansas possible. 

From the very beginning, Michelle helped build the foundation of The White Ribbon Project. She even wrote our original one-page informational handout, which we continue to use at events and displays today, a lasting example of her ability to turn ideas into meaningful action.

Michelle believed that meaningful change required bold ideas, collaboration, and respect for the people we serve. Her wisdom, creativity, and unwavering commitment will continue to guide our work. 

Her legacy lives on in every connection made, every voice amplified, and every life touched by the work she helped begin. Michelle's positive ripple effect will continue for generations. We are forever grateful for her friendship, leadership, and belief in what we could accomplish together.

We will miss her deeply. We will honor her always. And because of her, we will keep going.