Lauren Hill, whose inspirational fight with an inoperable brain tumor caught the country’s attention when she finally got to play on a basketball court, has died. She was just 19.
Hill attended Mount St. Joseph’s in Cincinnati and dreamed of playing on the university’s women’s basketball team. On Nov. 2, she accomplished her dream, helping the team beat Hiram College in front of a sold-out crowd.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that she died on Friday. Lauren was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma just after she turned 18. Not only did she dream of playing basketball, but she also dreamed that a cure for cancer would be found.
“When I was diagnosed I remember kind of feeling lonely because nobody understood. And now that more people know about this story and the awareness of DIPG. I'm so happy that people know about it now and that we can get some research going and hopefully find that home run cure for cancer,” Lauren said.
She knew she wasn’t likely to see a cure, but it was still important for her to keep supporting cancer research beyond and for her story to stay fresh, even beyond that Nov. 2 basketball game.
The Cure Starts Now Foundation said that $40,000 was raised at the game. During her life, Lauren helped raise $1.4 million in total for research.
“Shes a special person,” Mount St. Joseph’s coach Dan Benjamin told Local 12 at the time of her game. “This girl is so strong. She’s dealing with death and all she’s thinking about is everyone else.”
In an essay for the Associated Press, Benjamin called her the team’s “rock since day one,” adding, “Now it's time for my team to become her rock.”
Lauren’s mother and father, Lusa and Brent, were with her at that game, which inspired famous athletes and everyone watching. She also had a brother, Nate, and sister, Erin. Her condition worsened earlier this year and she tried to stay upbeat. But that game - and her fight - will not be forgotten.
screenshot from CBS Evening News YouTube Video