RIP Lauren Hill
All she wanted to do was play basketball.
Most high school seniors spend time wrestling with plenty of major decisions to plan for their futures. Some of these seniors also spend plenty of time in their various sports in preparation for playing at the next level. Lauren Hill was one such senior student-athlete at Lawerenceburg High in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in the fall of 2013, and having committed to play basketball at Division III Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, she was understandably concerned during team workouts when she noticed the following:
“I wasn’t keeping up with the other girls. My ball handling was sloppy so I just figured I was out of shape.”
Suspecting a concussion when her condition did not improve, she went with her parents for a further diagnosis, where Lauren and her family were hit with the bombshell: she was suffering from a case of Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma (DIPG), a rare and inoperable form of brain cancer. Given just 2 years to live, one of Hill’s first questions asked of her doctor was whether or not she would still be able to play basketball. Indeed, she played through her senior year.
“One game. Just one game.”
That was Lauren’s request when speaking to MSJ head Dan Benjamin after she was diagnosed. Shortly after her arrival at Mount St. Joseph to begin her freshman year in 2014, the wheels were set in motion to make this dream come true. After given special permission by the NCAA, the athletic departments at MSJ and Hiram College agreed to move their scheduled season opener up to November 2nd. Hiram even agreed to give up their home court advantage so that the game could be played in front of Lauren’s family and friends at Mount St. Joseph.
Facing overwhelming demand for tickets for the season opener, Xavier University offered Mount St. Joseph free use of their home arena, and arena employees volunteered their time for the game.
And so, in front of a record crowd for a non-Division I game, the stage was set:
Lauren would not just realize her “Just one game” wish, but eventually went on to take the court in 3 more games. Even the advanced stages of her cancer could not stop her, as her final two appearances came after her family had placed her in hospice care in early December.
One more goal that Lauren achieved in her final months was to raise $1 million for The Cure Starts Now, a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for DIPG. By April, it was announced at the Women’s Final Four during a ceremony awarding her the Pat Summitt Courage Award that more than $2 million had been raised for TCSN.
Hill was also named to the Heartland Collegiate Conference All-Conference First Team this season, and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Mount St. Joseph in February.
“I never gave up.”
Her courage never wavered.
Her strength never wavered.
Her faith never wavered.
Her passion never wavered.
In facing the battle of her life, Lauren Hill found a way to make her dreams come true and in doing so, helped raise awareness about DIPG. The impact she has left on the sporting world is immeasurable, even as sports fans are hit with stories about player misconduct, inflated salaries, and other controversies. It is stories like hers, as trivial as sports may seem when balanced against matters of life or death, that restore a general faith in sports’ ability to make dreams come true, to rally people together, to make dreams come true, and to inspire us to do better.
Cancer may have claimed her body, but Lauren’s spirit and memory will live on in the hearts and minds of those who carry on her fight and strive to emulate her example.
May she rest in peace, and thank you, Lauren.
More information on The Cure Starts Now foundation