Layups for lauren
Now that Lauren Hill has achieved her goal of playing in a college basketball game, she is shooting for a new goal: DIPG awareness. After being diagnosed with this inoperable cancer, Hill decided to take action to raise awareness.
Hill was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare pediatric brain cancer that is usually found in children ages 5 through 7, in September of this year. Unfortunately, less than 10% of DIPG patients live longer than 18 months after diagnosis. During her senior year at Lawrenceburg High School in Greendale, Illinois, she received that news that her tumor is expected to end her life in November of 2014.
Growing up as a basketball player all her life, Hill’s dream was to play basketball in college. On November 2, Hill got to fulfill that dream at the Xavier Clintas Center where she played her first collegiate basketball game for Mount St. Joseph College. Typically, their games bring about 100 spectators, but when supporters heard about this cause, the arena sold out. Ten thousand people poured into the arena to see one girl fulfill her dream.
Hill played a total of 47 seconds, scoring the first basket of the game and the final basket as well. She helped her teammate take a 66-55 win over Hiram College. After the game, Hill said, “I never thought I would play on a college court, put my feet on the floor and feel the vibration of the crowd… This is a really good day.”
The game was full of support. The coaches and teammates surprised Hill with gray uniforms- the color that represents brain cancer awareness. Players warmed up in “Play for 22” tee shirts, the same ones her family members were wearing as well in honor of Hill.
The game alone raised around $40,000 for the cause, but funds have not stopped there. Just as this summer was filled with ice bucket challenges for ALS awareness, Hill and her supporters have begun a new challenge. Because the disease causes dizziness and weakness on her dominant side, supporters must spin around five times and shoot a layup shot with their non-dominant hand. Those who make the shot can pass on the challenge to others, while those who miss must log onto The Cure Starts Now website and donate $10 to the cause.
This challenge has caught the attention of well-known teams such as the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters, Bengals football players Andy Dalton and Andrew Whitworth, and more.
Although DIPG will end the life of a truly inspirational teen, it does not have to continue to be that way. With this fundraising and awareness, the cure could be on the horizon. Check out the #Layup4Lauren challenge and visit the website Layup4Lauren.org to learn how others can help.
Hill was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare pediatric brain cancer that is usually found in children ages 5 through 7, in September of this year. Unfortunately, less than 10% of DIPG patients live longer than 18 months after diagnosis. During her senior year at Lawrenceburg High School in Greendale, Illinois, she received that news that her tumor is expected to end her life in November of 2014.
Growing up as a basketball player all her life, Hill’s dream was to play basketball in college. On November 2, Hill got to fulfill that dream at the Xavier Clintas Center where she played her first collegiate basketball game for Mount St. Joseph College. Typically, their games bring about 100 spectators, but when supporters heard about this cause, the arena sold out. Ten thousand people poured into the arena to see one girl fulfill her dream.
Hill played a total of 47 seconds, scoring the first basket of the game and the final basket as well. She helped her teammate take a 66-55 win over Hiram College. After the game, Hill said, “I never thought I would play on a college court, put my feet on the floor and feel the vibration of the crowd… This is a really good day.”
The game was full of support. The coaches and teammates surprised Hill with gray uniforms- the color that represents brain cancer awareness. Players warmed up in “Play for 22” tee shirts, the same ones her family members were wearing as well in honor of Hill.
The game alone raised around $40,000 for the cause, but funds have not stopped there. Just as this summer was filled with ice bucket challenges for ALS awareness, Hill and her supporters have begun a new challenge. Because the disease causes dizziness and weakness on her dominant side, supporters must spin around five times and shoot a layup shot with their non-dominant hand. Those who make the shot can pass on the challenge to others, while those who miss must log onto The Cure Starts Now website and donate $10 to the cause.
This challenge has caught the attention of well-known teams such as the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters, Bengals football players Andy Dalton and Andrew Whitworth, and more.
Although DIPG will end the life of a truly inspirational teen, it does not have to continue to be that way. With this fundraising and awareness, the cure could be on the horizon. Check out the #Layup4Lauren challenge and visit the website Layup4Lauren.org to learn how others can help.