Lauren Hill's journey from suffering teen with terminal cancer to national inspiration enjoyed another unforgettable moment when Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James took to Instagram on Nov. 3 to say he was inspired by Hill's performance. Lauren Hill had long dreamed of playing college basketball.
Lauren Hill had been a star basketball player at Lawrenceburg High School in the Indiana town of the same name. On her eighteenth birthday in 2013, she committed to play at Mount St. Joseph. However, as she was preparing for her senior season at Lawrenceburg High, she was noticing problems with her game. And on Nov. 20, 2013, Lauren Hill was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare type of brain cancer that normally affects children ages 5 to 7.
In less than two months after committing to Mount St. Joseph, Lauren Hill was given a best-care prognosis of two years to live despite the cancer that grows from the brain stem is inoperable and is not considered survivable. However, in September 2014, she had an MRI that revealed the tumor had grown. At that time, doctors told her and her family that she would probably die before the end of the year.
Lauren Hill had long dreamed of playing college basketball, of fulfilling a hope she had since middle school, as said by CBS News. And her story echoed on social media, with basketball stars such as LeBron James and Candace Parker expressing their admiration for Hill's courage over her cancer battle.
"You are simply and truly "AMAZING" Lauren Hill!!! Thank you for inspiring me and I'll try my best to match you!" LeBron James posted on Instagram. "Congrats on your game. Also be looking out for a package from I to You! You're Awesome!!!"
On Sunday, the Division III basketball game between Mount St. Joseph and Hiram College was far from ordinary. And it wasn't just because of the crowded arena and the basketball VIPs in attendance. The game was exceptional because of one freshman forward, Lauren Hill, number 22, who made her college basketball debut while combatting an inoperable brain cancer.
Lauren Hill, a freshman with a rare type of brain cancer, took a pass in the post and hit a left-handed layup just 17 seconds in to Sunday's game against Hiram College. According to ESPN, the NCAA allowed the schools to move the game up two weeks in the hope Hill could be healthy enough to play.
"I never thought I would play on a college court, put my feet on the floor and feel the vibration of the crowd," Hill said after the game that the Mount won 66-55. "This game has been amazing, and everything that happened today was amazing. This is a really good day."
Meanwhile, LeBron James has also been vocal about Lauren Hill's story, which The King called "unreal."
"It's something that puts the game of basketball in a whole different perspective, for sure. To know what she's going through, it sucks that she even has to go through that. It's hard," James said. "It's hard for her family, it's hard for her and I'm happy she was able to live out a dream of hers to be able to play a college basketball game. But it definitely puts everything into perspective of what you're doing and life itself."
Because of the headaches and nausea caused by Lauren Hill's cancer and the medicines she takes to treat it, she spent most of the game on the bench. But after she scored, both teams gave Hill a standing ovation before she exited her game.
"I love basketball, and it was sad when I couldn't play," Hill said. "But it was great to be here to support the team because they're supporting me every day."
Several major athletes, including two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker, also expressed on social media her admiration for Lauren Hill's inspiring and emotional performance.
"So inspired...just finished watchin the Lauren Hill game! Tears of joy pouring down my cheeks. Speechless... 1st 2 pts & last 2 #PlayFor22" Parker wrote on Twitter.
Summitt presented Lauren Hill with the US Basketball Writers Association's Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, and Indiana Pacers representatives and Fever presented a $5,000 check to The Cure Starts Now (TCSN).
"To reach and touch this many people is amazing," Lauren Hill said. "Not many people knew about DIPG 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."
At the end of the game, the team announced that they had raised $40,000 for TCSN, which raises money to fund research for DIPG, the rare type of pediatric brain cancer that Lauren Hill is suffering.
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