Background
Lauren Hill was born in Greendale, Indiana.
Lauren Hill was born in Greendale, Indiana.
She was runner up for 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, coming second in voting to Mo"ne Davis. Her battle with cancer became public when the National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed to allow Mount Saint Joseph to play Hiram College two weeks prior to the original game date so Hill could play. The location of the game was also originally moved from Hiram"s Price Gymnasium to Mount Saint Joseph"s Harrington Center so that Hill would not have to travel the over 300 miles from Cincinnati to Hiram.
However, due to public interest in the game, it was later moved from the 2,000 seat Harrington Center to the 10,250 seat Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University.
She raised United States$1 million for pediatric cancer research with a Cincinnati telethon for The Cure Starts Now Foundation. The Foundation has raised United States$1.5 million thus far.
Wheaties honored Hill with her picture on its cereal box. Hill"s family signed her up for hospice care on December 1, 2014.
After Hill played in four games and made five layups, Mount Saint Joseph basketball coach Dan Benjamin announced that she would not play in future games but would like to stay on as an honorary coach.
On January 7, 2015, Hill served as Assistant Coach for Mount Saint Joseph University women"s basketball team On February 6, 2015, Hill was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree by Mount Saint Joseph University. On March 4, 2015, she was named to the all-conference first team in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
"This award is being presented to Lauren in recognition of her courage and outstanding leadership", said conference commissioner Chris Ragsdale.
On April 5, 2015, she was given the Pat Summitt Courage Award. She died on April 10, 2015 at Cincinnati Children"s Hospital Medical Center.
A public visitation and memorial service was held on April 13, 2015 at the Cintas Center with a private funeral and burial scheduled for April 15, 2015. In June 2015, Hill was honored with a brick in the courtyard of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
The brick says Lauren Hill and below that says Hero.
On July 15, 2015, Hill was honored with the "Best Moment" Award at the annual 2015 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards. Her parents, Brent and Lisa Hill, accepted the award on her behalf.
Quotations: "This award is being presented to Lauren in recognition of her courage and outstanding leadership".