(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A Colorado Springs veteran and cancer survivor experienced a dream come true when she was brought on stage during Lainey Wilson’s concert at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday night, Aug. 16.
Jilliann Culp, who was given the spotlight during the concert, spoke to FOX21 News on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and hopes her story will inspire others. Culp, a veteran from Colorado Springs, was previously stationed at Fort Carson and was an MIA1 Abrams tank mechanic.
“I was the first female to graduate at Fort Benning, and I did my service there, I did my schooling there, and came over to Fort Carson as the first female tank mechanic… and that’s where my life made a big plot twist,” she said.
Fast forward to Saturday, and Culp said it was literally a dream come true.
“I don’t know why I thought that this was even going to be a possibility, but I had a dream that I stood on stage with a bright colored poster,” Culp said, adding that there was another sign too– a unique rainbow she saw on the day of the concert.
“In that moment, I knew something was going on,” she said.
Culp, who had general admission tickets, said a woman in the crowd gave up her spot, allowing Culp to be front and center near the stage. “…and she says, I don’t know why I didn’t think about making a sign because I am six years in remission.”
Culp said she was lifted over the railing by a stranger and helped onto the stage by security, where she shared her message with the audience. Culp was seen holding her poster on stage, which included three checkmarks.
“The first one was a 2019 stroke, the second one was 2024, I had papillary thyroid cancer, and then the last box that was checked was the announcement that I was cancer-free,” she said.
She also spoke to the crowd, dedicating a song to veterans and cancer survivors.
“For all the veterans in here, this next song is for you and for all the remission cancer patients, we’re here, we’re here!”
Culp said she was grateful to share the moment with family. “I am a proud mother of a child with Down syndrome, and I also have a young preteen, who is on the spectrum as well.”
Following the concert, Lainey Wilson followed Culp on social media, as thousands continue to share her story across the U.S. and beyond. You can follow her too, @tankerbell27 on Instagram and TikTok.
Culp also read a full statement she wrote prior to our interview with her on Tuesday, which you can watch in its entirety in the video player below.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by FOX21. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by FOX21 staff before being published.