The family of a 25-year-old missionary from DuPage County is raising money to bring her body back home to the United States.
Meghan Liddy died from malaria Friday after contracting malaria while doing mission work in Africa.
David Liddy shared details about his daughter with NBC 5 Monday.
"She was not rich or wealthy, or famous or powerful, but she was successful beyond anyone’s expectations," he said.
Meghan was a doer, on a mission to make a difference in the world. She found her calling in Africa.
"Her senior year Liddy went to Uganda and came back and said she was going to go back as soon as she saved enough money," her father said.
She worked three jobs to save about $20,000 for the trip.
She went back to Ghana where she’s lived for the past five years. She raised three foster children there, including sisters Princella and Rhoda .
She was doing what she loved, with the kids she loved.
Meghan recently contracted malaria--which she’d had before--but this time it was too serious for her to fight off. She died Friday morning in with her girls by her side.
Maryann Liddy, Meghan's mother, said her daughter had no regrets and loved faithfully.
"I have nothing but proudness of her," Maryann said.
Meghan is to be buried in a family plot in Nebraska.
But it could cost several thousand dollars to get her remains back to the United States.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help offset the cost.
"People like her should live for a long, long time," her father said, wiping away tears from his face. "Because of what they're doing, they shouldn't be taken so soon."
Maryann said it could take months to bring her daughter's body back to the United States. She said any cash left over from the GoFundMe will be used to help the two girls Meghan was in the process of adopting.
