Lauren Hill was a courageous teen who was honored Wednesday night at the ESPY Awards for having the best moment. Sadly, she wasn’t there to accept it.
Hill died on April 10 of this year, after battling an inoperable brain tumor. However, she died a hero, using her own personal struggle to fund cancer research. She raised over $1.5 million to contribute toward finding a cure before she herself succumbed to brain cancer. Before Hill died, she had just one wish: to play in just one college basketball game.
Hill had been recruited in 2013 to play basketball for Mount St. Joseph University. Shortly after committing to play for the team, she learned she had an inoperable brain tumor, according to ABC.
She was a remarkable teenager with success and opportunity ahead of her, and in the blink of an eye, her plan was derailed. But this courageous teenager did not let that get her down. Hill practiced with her team despite having a tumor in her head and even played in their opening game.
The NCAA agreed to let Mount St. Joseph move its opening game against Hiram College up by two weeks because Hill’s condition was deteriorating. Other school’s got involved to make Hill’s dreams come true too. Xavier University offered its 10,000-seat arena so more people could attend. Still, tickets sold out in less than an hour.
In the end, Hill didn’t play in one game: she played in five. LeBron James sent her gifts and tweets of encouragement for her inspiring actions.
Hill’s mother Lisa said, ”if she were here today standing on this stage, she would ask you not to sit on the bench. Please don’t wait until you’re personally affected by cancer to start kicking cancer’s butt.” With her remaining time, Hill raised awareness of pediatric cancer and used her spotlight for selfless reasons. Lauren Hill is truly a hero!
Watch the video that was made to honor her best moment:
[Featured Image Credit: CNN]