When Mount Saint Joseph University opens its women's basketball season in November, the opening game will be unforgettable, but it won't have anything to do with the score.
For one incoming freshman from Lawrenceburg High School, taking the floor will be fulfilling the dream of a lifetime; if she lives that long.
When Lauren committed to play ball at Mount Saint Joe October, 2013, she had no idea making it to the opening tip might be the toughest challenge she would ever face. On Oct. 1, 2013 she turned 18 and Lauren Hill wanted there to be something special about her 18th birthday.
"I said, 'Oh I gotta make a memory on my birthday.' I called the coach and said that I'm coming to The Mount to play," said Lauren.
Coming to The Mount Lauren had no knowledge of the climb before her as she started her Senior season at Lawrenceburg High.
"I wasn't keeping up with the other girls," she said. "My ball handling was sloppy so I just figured I was out of shape."
Lawrenceburg basketball coach, Zane White, said, "We were lost. This is not the Lauren Hill we knew. We were dumbfounded."
Lauren suffered Vertigo, dizziness, then a collision with a teammate, a black eye and a numb tongue.
Lauren's mother, Lisa Hill, said, "'Something's not right. I must have a concussion,' and that's when we took her into Children's."
49 days after her 18th birthday, an MRI revealed the brain tumor. DIPG: Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma. It's not a mass but a cancer with roots at the base of her brain stem with growing tentacles weaving through her nerves. It's inoperable.
The best hope doctors could offer was maybe two years to live.
Brent Hill, Lauren's father, said, "I got weak, Lisa got sick, and typical Lauren she wanted to know if she could still play basketball."
The answer was yes. But only if she could do it through chemotherapy and radiation; so Lauren did.
Not like she used to, but giving up wasn't an option which she shared with her high school teammates Coach White said Lauren told her team, "'You better not quit because I'll come after you. If I'm not there you better be playing, don't feel sorry for me.'"
"Never give up, motto is never give up. Not that she ever did before so it hasn’t changed much but she's still never giving up," her mom said.
Lauren told Local 12, "I never gave up for a second even when I got a terminal diagnosis; never thought about sitting back and not living life anymore."
So the Hill’s have lived life over the past year; Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, a Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii. But mostly Lauren likes her time at home with brother, Nate, who's a junior at Lawrenceburg, and sister Erin, an eighth grader.
September 2014, another MRI, "I knew in the back of my mind it had grown. There isn't anything to say, because they can't do anything," Lauren said.
Doctors advised the family to get their things in order; she won't make it past December. To Lauren that meant she still had time to make her dream come true.
Oct. 1, 2014: Lauren's 19th birthday. There was a surprise party after practice with her teammates from The Mount. There were lots of hugs, some tears and a few presents.
"When I got home, I told my parents I wanted to wear it [jersey] under all my clothes because it makes me feel strong; like to stay strong like I was back then," Lauren told Local 12.
When she plays, it's obvious her game isn't like it was and the days are slipping by; but she told her coach, 'One game. I want to play one college game.'
Scheduled for Nov. 15, away, Hiram College agreed to come to The Mount Nov. 1 if the NCAA will make an exception. Mount Saint Joe's basketball coach, Dan Benjamin said, "She's a special person. This girl is so strong, she's dealing with death and all she's thinking about is everyone else. Her team first her family first, and just to give her that one last wish would be incredible for our program and our players."
Lauren described her love for the game, "I love the roar of the crowd, the squeaking of the shoes. I can't wait to be on this court and wearing #22."
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