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Tag: Lauren Hill Cancer

  • Lauren Hill, Mount St. Joseph University Basketball Player, Dies at 19–Memorial Set for Monday

    Lauren Hill, the Mount St. Joseph University freshman who so desperately wanted to play basketball, has died of cancer. Diagnosed during her senior year in high school with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glimoma (DIPG), a terminal form of cancer, Hill was told she had months–possibly only weeks–to live.

    Determined not to allow cancer to halt her plans, Lauren Hill became an inspiration as well as advocate for cancer research. And she got to play basketball, too.

    Hill delayed hospice care so she could play in a November 2nd basketball game for Mt. St. Joseph after the NCAA allowed the school to move the game up by a few weeks so Lauren Hill could join her team on the court.

    When number 22 appeared and did her lay-up, the crowd went wild.

    According to the Washington Post, Lauren Hill told everyone in the sold-out arena how excited she was to be there.

    “Today has been the best day I ever had,” she said.

    Lauren Hill’s passing on April 10th has inspired a huge outpouring of love and support on Twitter. LeBron James wrote a heartfelt tribute, broken up into several Tweets.

    The Cincinnati Reds honored Lauren Hill on the day she passed away.

    Certainly no one is mourning the passing of Lauren Hill more than her family, her friends, and her teammates. Her time on earth was much too short, but the impact she made in that short time was astounding.

  • Lauren Hill’s Cancer Worsens, Now In Hospice

    Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old freshman from Cincinnati who inspired millions when she played in a Division III basketball game with Mount St. Joseph despite her ongoing bouts against cancer, was entered into hospice care due to complications related to her brain tumor.

    On the Lauren’s Fight for Cure Facebook page, Hill’s family posted an entry last Monday that shed light on the current condition of the young basketballer. “We are excited to have additional resources coming to our home. We have already been able to get supplies to help make things easier here at home,” the post read.

    The family said that Hill has been “in good spirits” during the week and that she keeps busy by getting involved in special projects. The teenager was previously spotted at a game against Bethany College last Nov. 21 where the player received a rousing cheer from the crowd after she scored a layup against the competing team.

    “Today is another battle,” said the teen in the opening moments of her recent short documentary on ESPN.com. “Sometimes I’m winning, sometimes I won’t admit that I’m losing, but it’s a constant struggle.” Hill’s family reports that she’s experiencing severe symptoms from her inoperable cancer. Hill continues to endure headaches, dizziness, and general lack of energy, but the teenager works hard to be in a “funny, goofy mood.”

    Hill made headlines after raising more than $324,000 for cancer research and treatment. Fans of the inspiring basketball player are hopeful that she stays alive and healthy even after the doctors told her that she is not expected to live beyond December. November 2 was a monumental day for the teen as she hit the court to play for her college team. Despite her serious condition, Hill was all smiles and was full of energy throughout the course of the game, making her a beacon of hope for those struggling with the same illness.

  • Lauren Hill: Cancer Won’t Stop Her Fight For A Cure

    Lauren Hill of Lawrenceburg, Ind. has given far more to us than perhaps even she realizes.

    The 19-year-old, who is dying of cancer, has proven that it is not the length of life that gives it meaning but rather the quality.

    Hill challenges others to make their life meaningful, no matter what obstacles we find ourselves facing.

    It wasn’t easy.

    “One January night, I was having a meltdown,” said Hill. “I asked God if I could do anything. I didn’t know what He sent me here for. I wanted to know what He sent me here for. Whatever you sent me here for, I’m ready to do.”

    Lauren found her calling in spreading the word about her rare form of cancer, called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma or DIPG.

    Hill and her family found that because the sickness was so rare, research for this kind of cancer is terribly underfunded.

    “There is such desperate need for research and funding and new drugs to battle this thing,” said Lisa Hill, Lauren’s mother. “Families should not have to go through this.”

    Indeed Lauren is right when she adds “nobody should have to go through” what she is experiencing.

    But Lauren Hill is taking the time, what precious time she has left, to raise awareness.

    She said of her cause, “I told (God) I’d take every opportunity to speak for the kids who can’t speak.”

    People are not only listening to Lauren, but they are donating.

    There have been a growing number of benefits for the Mount Saint Joseph University basketball player, and it’s reported that as of Sunday, more than $400,000 has been raised in Hill’s honor.

    “I want to be the next Susan G. Komen,” Hill said.

    The Susan G. Komen Foundation was founded two years after the death of its namesake, a woman who passed at just 33 years of age due to brain cancer.

    Since then, it has raised more than one and a half billion dollars for breast cancer research.

    Perhaps one Thanksgiving weekend decades from now, persons will be able to look back and thank Lauren Hill for her selflessness, which could very well light a spark that leads to a cure for her unique form of cancer.

  • Leah Still, the 4-Year-Old Daughter of Cincinnati Bengals’ Devon Still, Brings Inspiration in Her Fight Against Cancer

    Leah Still, the four-year-old daughter of Cincinnati Bengals‘ Devon Still, who is battling cancer, brought a ray of hope to the Cincinnati-Cleveland game Thursday night, despite the defeat her daddy’s team suffered.

    Before the game, Devon shared about what it meant to have his daughter on hand for her first NFL game.

    “Having her finally have the chance to come out here and feeling good health-wise… is going to be a great feeling,” Still told Cincinnati’s 9 On Your Side Thursday afternoon before the game.

    “I’ve learned to keep my emotions intact as time has gone on — as everything has happened with my daughter. I know everything is going to be pretty emotional.”

    Fans on both sides of Ohio were united in cheering on the little girl with the big heart. As Devon warmed up, cameras caught the twosome exchanging sweet waves with each other.

    “It just brought a smile to my face,” Devon told the NFL Network following game.

    Little Leah has been undergoing treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia since June, so her homecoming was extra sweet.

    “I always look forward to those feelings whether I’m traveling back to Philadelphia or she’s coming out here,” Still said Thursday. “Just to see her running to my arms is always a great feeling.”

    Leah wasn’t just there to watch her dad play football. The Bengals decided to sell Devon’s No. 75 jerseys for $100, with proceeds going to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for pediatric cancer research. They ended up selling 14,945 jerseys for a total of $1.3 million. Leah was there to accept the check on behalf of other children like her who are afflicted with pediatric cancer.

    “Today is going to be a bunch of good emotions just knowing that my daughter is there and that the check presentation is because of her,” Still said.

    Dressed in the uniform of her beloved Ben-Gals cheerleaders, which they had specially made for her complete with her dad’s No. 75 in glitter on the front, Leah stood next to another hometown hero, Lauren Hill, who is dying of brain cancer and played her first and last college basketball game on Sunday.

    Devon said seeing his daughter standing alongside Hill was probably the highlight of the evening.

    “I can tell by the she was smiling on the jumbotron that she had a lot of fun up there. I’m pretty sure she’s going to tell me all about her day meeting the cheerleaders and getting to be in the press box,” Devon said.

    Devon said he’s proud of his girl. Surely Cleveland joins all of Cincinnati in being proud of her, as well.

    “These past couple days made her day. You have no idea. I haven’t seen my daughter smile this much in a long time. I do appreciate everyone chipping in to help put a smile on her face,” he said. “She loves the camera. She thinks she’s a movie star.”