Lauren Hill, a freshman basketball player at Mount St. Joseph, made her collegiate debut on Sunday. Hill has an inoperable brain tumor. She lives every day fully understanding the harsh reality of her condition.
Hill is not expected to live into the year 2015. She was told by doctors in September that her cancer will likely take her life by December. Despite that, Hill has refused to give up on her dream.
“I never thought I would play on a college court, put my feet on the floor and feel the vibration of the crowd,” she said after scoring four points, including the NCAA’s first two of the season. “This game has been amazing, and everything that happened today was amazing. This is a really good day.”
Hill’s first — and perhaps only — collegiate points came in front of a sold-out arena at Xavier. The roughly 10,000 seats were snatched up within an hour of going on sale. The NCAA allowed Mount St. Joseph’s game against Hiram College to be moved up two weeks in hopes that Hill would still feel well enough to play.
On Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still, whose daughter has been battling pediatric cancer, paid tribute to Hill the same way he has been honoring his 4-year-old daughter.
“To reach and touch this many people is amazing,” Hill said. “Not many people knew about (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) before me, and now that they do, we can get research going to cure this cancer. I won’t be around to see that, but it’s going to help so many people. That’s why the support can’t end with this game.”
How someone could find the strength to play basketball while dealing with a condition like Hill’s is unfathomable to the average person. We wish all the best for Lauren and her family.
