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Many may not know the name Lauren Hill, but if you have been following
the sports news lately, you may have heard about her. Lauren was a dedicated
and passionate basketball player that just wanted to play the game like any
normal kid, but 49 days after accepting a position on the Mount St. Joseph's
College basketball team, Lauren was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine
Glioma, a rare type of brain cancer that is incurable.
A native of Indiana, Lauren played soccer until her coach cut her from
goalie position her senior year. So instead of giving up, she began playing
basketball and decided she wanted to continue that in college. After telling
the Mount St. Joseph's coach she was going to join the team, she received
news that she had brain cancer.
All she wanted to do was play college basketball. Well, her dream did come
true. The NCAA allowed the game to be played ahead of schedule so she
could participate. Lauren played with her team against Hiram College to a
sold-out crowd of 10,250 and a television audience. Mount St. Joseph won
over Hiram 66-55 with Lauren scoring the first and last basket. With her condition,
Lauren had to sit out much of the game wearing sunglasses and headphones
because the lights and noise bothered her. But she was still cheered
on by her teammates.
Lauren became an advocate for the disease and at the game $40,000 was
raised for The Cure Starts Now Foundation. Overall, the foundation has
raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research.
Her determination and spirit resinated and inspired professional athletes
like Richard Sherman and LeBron James who sent a message from his Twitter
account last year telling Lauren that she was "simply and truly 'AMAZING'".
Lauren was just astounded by the amount of attention she was receiving
along with position feedback. She played 4 games with Mount St. Joseph
before her condition forced her to stop playing. She was featured on a
Wheaties box, she was honored at local sporting events and given the Pat
Summit Most Courageous Award that is usually give out during the Women's
Final Four.
Lauren Hill had once said "Even though I'm probably not going to be
around to see (a cure), it's going to help a lot of people. And that's why we
need to keep staying with this and not end it with this game." She was truly
inspiration to me in not giving up until the last breath was taken. Lauren Hill
died April 10, 2015 at the age of 19.