Willifords visit Museum of Aviation; Colton celebrated by Middle Georgia

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — On Monday, 10-year-old Colton Williford and his family were given an exclusive tour of the Museum of Aviation. Colton and his twin brother, Bryson, were given flight suits at the top of tour, with patches, medals and challenge coins — for the rest of the day, they were treated as heroes.

“Today has been such a blessing for us in making Colton feel special and making Bryson feel special, and our whole family — everyone here has made us feel really special,” Kelsey Williford, Colton’s mom, said.

“All these people who don’t even know us, and they rolled the red carpet out for us,” Colton’s father, Jason Williford said. “It’s amazing, everything that’s been done for us so far.”

According to museum staff, Colton was diagnosed with a sarcoma cancer, a type of cancer that begins in tissues like bone or muscle, called Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma. He had a tumor removed from within his skull and brain sack in July 2018, and afterwards, scans showed clear results.

In September 2022, however, Kelsey and Jason Williford were informed that the cancer had returned. Just last week, they found that the cancer has aggressively spread.

They’ve come to Middle Georgia on their way to Egleston Hospital in Atlanta, where they seek further treatment. Along the way, they decided to stop in Warner Robins to visit the Museum of Aviation.

The Williford’s visit to the museum was an opportunity for the family to spend time with one another, and for Colton — who loves all things aviation — to get a chance to take in some of the stars of the sky, such as the World War II-era B-17 Flying Fortress, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (also known as the fastest plane in the world) and a Vietnam War-era Lockheed AC-130 gunship.

“It’s good to see some of the things in real life that he just sees in books and on TV,” Colton’s dad said. “He actually gets to see a lot of this stuff up close and behind the scenes, gets to learn a little more of the history of the planes he knows, getting to go inside of them.”

The family toured the many buildings at the Museum of Aviation with a guide, taking in information about several displays and interactive exhibits.

“It’s been really exciting,” Colton said. “I get to see some [of my] favorite aircraft, and [went] in a flight simulator and [flew] a plane with some of the base personnel that came here.”

In addition to the Museum of Aviation, Best Western and Rigby’s Entertainment Complex have lent a hand to the Willifords by donating a hotel room and playtime package to the family, sponsoring their stay in Warner Robins. That’s not the only support that the family has received, according to the twin’s parents.

“Everyone’s just been so giving and loving,” Kelsey Williford said. “We’ve had airmen call us and just want to talk to him, pray for us. It’s beautiful.”

“Just to know that you’re not alone out there, there are people out there willing to help others,” Jason Williford said. “There’s good people out there still. It’s nice to see, and we’re grateful for everybody that’s helped out in any which way they could.”

When Colton grows up, he hopes to join the military, and use that as a launching point to become a doctor who helps children diagnosed with cancer.

“Doctors, my mom and dad, take care of me, so I want to take care of other people, and help them out, too,” Colton said.

The Willifords will be in Georgia until Saturday. When asked how people could help, Kelsey Williford simply asked for prayers and support.

If you want to support the family directly, you can find their GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-colton-williford-fight-cancer.

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