Back in November, college basketball player Lauren Hill inspired the nation when she took part in a game for Ohio's Mount St. Joseph University, despite the fact that she was battling an inoperable brain tumor. She scored the first and last baskets of Mount St. Joseph's game against Hiram College during a sold-out game at Xavier University to help her team earn a 66-55 victory.
"It was a dream come true to play on the college court," she said after the game. "And it was so thrilling to get there and be able to put my foot down and feel the roar of the crowd and the vibrations of the floor boards...I love it so much."
The feat received national attention, and footage from the game aired on ESPN's SportsCenter. It was such a great story that some NBA players like LeBron James took notice and posted messages about Hill on social media:
Hill continued to battle her rare form of brain cancer, which is called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, after the game and eventually helped raise more than $2 million towards cancer research. She was also selected to be a part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference first team after the college season ended. But unfortunately, Hill lost her battle with DIPG early this morning. She passed away at a hospital in Ohio on Friday at the age of 19.
To make a donation to Lauren's charity The Cure Starts Now, go here. What a sad, yet truly inspirational, story.
UPDATE:
After hearing about Hill's death this morning, LeBron James took to Twitter to write her this letter:
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via USA Today]
