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Lauren Hill, College Basketball Player Dying of Terminal Brain Cancer, Set to Play ‘One Last Game’

Lauren Hill, a college basketball player diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, is set to play in “one last game”. Tickets sold out in 30 minutes for the game scheduled to be played at Xavi...
Lauren Hill, College Basketball Player Dying of Terminal Brain Cancer, Set to Play ‘One Last Game’
Written by Pam Wright
  • Lauren Hill, a college basketball player diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, is set to play in “one last game”.

    Tickets sold out in 30 minutes for the game scheduled to be played at Xavier University’s Cintas Center on the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 2.

    Diagnosed with pediatric cancer, Hill has an aggressive brain tumor that is quickly taking her life.

    When she signed on to play basketball with Mount Saint Joseph College in Cincinnati, Ohio, she didn’t know about the cancer.

    With doctor’s fearing she may not even live until December, her coaches petitioned the NCAA to move the first game of the season to an earlier date so that Hill could play. The NCAA granted the request and the game was moved to the larger Cintas Center to accommodate the larger than expected crowd.

    The afternoon, which is likely to be memorable for so many and on so many levels, is becoming more than just an average college basketball game.

    Brooke Desserich, founder of The Cure Starts Now, a charity that focuses on trying to find a cure for the most aggressive cancers in an effort to cure all cancer, is organizing congruent events on the afternoon of the game.

    “Not just the basketball game, but a few presentations that are going to happen during halftime. I’ve been sworn to secrecy about what’s going to happen, but everyone really wants to show their support, and I’m sure that it’s going to be an incredibly inspiring game,” Desserich said.

    Proceeds from the sold-out game will go to The Cure Starts Now.

    As Hill practices for the big game, the young player is finding support from so many.

    Cincinnati Bengal Devon Still, whose daughter, Leah, is also battling cancer, stopped by practice and surprised Hill on Tuesday morning.

    In Hill’s native Greendale, Indiana, commissioners and the mayor declared Nov. 2 as Lauren Hill Day.

    “It’s just a great opportunity to spread awareness, and I’m really happy to be making a difference. A much bigger difference than I thought I could have ever made. That’s why you have to never give up and keep trying and keep chasing your dreams,” Hill said after the proclamation was made on Tuesday evening.

    Despite all of the emotions that Hill must be experiencing, she is consumed by one.

    “Excitement to step out on that floor and be wearing that jersey and those shoes and that uniform and hearing the crowd and feeling the floor vibrate and the rumble in your chest when the roar comes. I’m just excited for it. Beyond excited,” she said.

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