Most of the time when empowering stories about women surface, they are about a well known female celebrity. Fewer people recognize the accomplishments of women like Grace Hopper, Becky Hammon or Stacey Ferreira. While these women, who are well known in the science and sports fields, are all totally kickass, but there’s always someone else that deserves some recognition.
Lauren Hill is a freshman on the basketball team at Mount St. Joseph University. Until recently, her basketball team’s season opener was scheduled to be on Nov. 15. The game has now been moved up to Nov. 2. Normally, changing the date of a game isn’t such a big deal. Weather delays, power outages, technically difficulties are just a small list of why many games get moved around.
What is unusual is the fact that competitive basketball games can’t be held until mid-November. Moving this game required an exemption from the NCAA to start sooner, an agreement from the other team, and the game was even moved to be hosted at Mount St. Joseph.
Why? Lauren learned in the fall of her senior year that she had an inoperable tumor at the bottom of her brainstem. The results of a recent MRI had doctors doubting that she would even be able to survive through December.
No matter what news is thrown at her, Hill keeps fighting to play basketball. She barely missed any games and attended fall practices for her team. Even though she suffers from nausea, vertigo, fatigue and more, she continues to hit the court.
Fatigue takes her out of the game quickly and her parent’s worry if she will even make it to the Nov. 2 game, she’s still turning it into a positive. No matter how many doubts creep in to her head, she’s determined to take her spot on the court and get as many possessions as she can.
During her time off the court, Hill has been raising money and awareness for those suffering with the same condition known as DIPG. She’s partnered with The Cure Starts Now Cancer Research Foundation, encouraged her friends to learn about and share information on DIPG, and has done interviews with her local TV station.
With the time she has left, she is clearly making the most of it. Can’t wait to hear about the first game of Lauren Hill’s collegiate basketball career.