The Tay way — Police Officer Taylor Hilton brings 'want to win' spirit to breast cancer battle: 'I just gotta do it'

Tough like Tay.

Chicago Police Officer Taylor “Tay” Hilton, 33, is juggling a lot these days.

Baby bottles and breast cancer, happiness and hard lifting.

If life is a story of choice and chance, keep in mind Hilton’s six-year career in the Grand Central police district came during a city in crisis — the COVID-19 pandemic, street riots, police turmoil, surging street crime and the unintended consequences of unexpected migrants. For police officers, that meant shift changes and rare days off.

For Hilton specifically, it also meant a calendar of shift and lift through three pregnancies in five years.

“Tough Tay,” as she’s known for her ability to face challenges, is now facing a new one.

A battle for her life.

Last month, five months after giving birth to her third child, Jack, “our tough girl got news no one should ever receive,” according to a plea on a GoFundMe page.

“I discovered a lump in my breast shortly after I finished breast feeding last month,” said Hilton, who was then given more bad news after undergoing subsequent tests, scans and biopsies.

The cancer had spread to Hilton’s pelvic bone, spine, lymph nodes and liver.

The official diagnosis: stage 4 invasive ductal carcinoma.

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

“I know there is a long road ahead,” said Hilton, now in the midst of an aggressive treatment plan. “I always played sports with a want to win, never wanting to give up … so I’m just getting my strength back since my first chemo,” she told Sneed while rocking a noisy, gurgling baby son, Jack.

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“My family is helping me push through … but it is scary. I can’t tell the future, but I have children.

“I just have to hang in there. … I just gotta do it. … And it’s wonderful being part of the police community knowing we have each other’s back,” she said.

The former Taylor DePasquale and her husband, Joe, live in the Edison Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side with daughter Piper, 5, Joe, 3, and baby Jack, where they are parishioners of St. Juliana’s Catholic Church.

“She [Hilton] does all of this while braving the streets of the 025th district as a Chicago police officer,” noted the GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Hilton’s struggle against the deadly cancer.

“All of this couldn’t dim Taylor’s light,” wrote Maggie Browne, her beloved friend/cousin, who started the fundraising campaign. “She is ready to face this horrible disease head on and fight for herself and her family.

“There is a long road ahead for her and we will be there with her every step of the way. If the past month has shown anything, it’s that we should all strive to be #ToughlikeTay.

“Please pray that this journey is quick for Tay and that she can get back to enjoying her life with her family.”

Lt. Francisca Vergara, who works with Officer Hilton in the Grand Central District, tells Sneed: “Taylor’s mindset is exactly where it should be” in relation to this stunning diagnosis.

“A force to be reckoned with, she had hoped to come back working light duty. What a fighter,” Vergara said.

But that fighter is also “a bubbly brunette,” her lieutenant says.

“A person with a great sense of humor, who could make anybody laugh, especially the way she could mispronounce names.

“And she’s been pretty stoic about having to give up her favorite Italian food, pasta!”

“Go Tay!”

The Bark Bank …

It’s a 20-year-old story with a new beginning.

For two decades, Chicago Canine Rescue, a nonprofit haven for rescued dogs, has struggled financially but been kept alive by its saintly volunteers.

But now the 501(c)(3) at 5272 N. Elston Ave. has a new benefactor.

A generous donor has come forward, a new landlord with more than a crate of paint for the no-kill shelter, which takes up 7,200 square feet of warehouse space in the Forest Glen neighborhood.

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The shelter, founded in 2001 to find forever homes for dogs too old, too young, too injured or too disabled, culls canines slated for euthanasia at other shelters.

A paw is now afoot to repair and maintain the shelter and conduct a $100,000 matching fundraising campaign through May. Stay tuned for “Bark Bash” time May 16 at Goose Island Barrel House.

No wonder shelter founder Lisa Klotnia and president Janice Triptow are smiling. Bow wow.

Sneedlings …

The State of the Union: President Joe Biden had a better ending than beginning: “Whether young or old, I’ve known our North Star … and there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.” … Saturday birthdays: actress Juliette Binoche, 60; actor Oscar Isaac, 45. Sunday birthdays: actor Chuck Norris, 84; actress Sharon Stone, 66; actor Jon Hamm, 53; singer Carrie Underwood,41; Jasmine Guy, 62.