Lauren Hill Passes Away After Battle With Cancer

Many of us didn't know her. Quite frankly, we didn't have to. Her name was Lauren Hill and she became a hero to many after her story was told in 2014. She was a girl who had a dream of playing college basketball and planned to do so at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had the skill, she had the potential, but inoperable brain cancer kept her from full participation in the sport she loved. Originally, her doctors didn't believe she would make it to the day of her first college basketball game. In a heartwarming effort to make sure she had the experience of playing in her team's first game of the year, the NCAA allowed a rescheduling of MSJ's first game which was played in early November. It was expected to be her only game and it was expected that she would pass before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving came and went and Lauren was still healthy enough to suit up with her teammates. Christmas also came to pass and Lauren was still with us. She was refusing to give in to her illness while managing to inspire a country through her resilience and strength.

Here at Anderson University in Indiana, I have the great privilege of doing the public address announcing for a handful of our athletic teams, one of which is women's basketball. On January 21st of this year, Mount Saint Joe came to AU for a conference match-up. At this point, Lauren Hill's "Layups for Lauren" foundation was well-known and thriving, helping raise over 1.5 million dollars for cancer research. The campus of AU did a phenomenal job of advertising this particular game and numerous students came to support Lauren's cause.

Sadly, Lauren was not with her teammates when they made the two and a half hour trip here to Anderson, Indiana. Yet there was a buzz in the gym unlike any I've experienced. I've played in sold out gyms against crosstown rivals in high school. I've been to the NCAA Final Four twice, including this year's which featured the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. None of those experiences, not one of those games felt like that January night in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium. The aforementioned games had plenty of emotion, plenty of excitement, but this game between Anderson and Mount Saint Joe just felt different. This was something bigger than sports and everybody knew it. It was about basketball, but it wasn't at the same time.

Hill was a freshman at MSJ

Basketball is what brought Lauren Hill's story into the public eye, but it was her fight and her determination to get the most out of each day that made the biggest impact. And on that night, it wasn't necessarily about winning and losing. On that night it was about recognizing Lauren's determination and realizing how much of an impact she had. She was 19 years old, a girl who had plenty ahead of her. She was not even in the gym the night of that game, but people knew her struggle. They knew her influence. They knew her dreams. Not many college students can affect a crowd of 2,000 people like that without being in the room.

So today we mourn the loss of a girl who is gone much too soon. But in the sadness, it's important to realize that Lauren Hill accomplished a lifetime's worth of feats. Because of Lauren we have seen a girl fight for each day with a smile on her face. There was never any evidence of a "why me?" attitude, rather an attitude of wanting to inspire people to treasure what and who they have. Lauren has taught us to never allow anything to hold us back and to chase after whatever it is we want out of life. She lived with a purpose and that purpose will live on for years to come.

I would never say that Lauren "lost her battle with cancer". How could she lose? She raised more money than we could have imagined and outlasted the disease by six months. Cancer didn't get the best of her because, even though she may be gone physically, the lessons we learned and courage she displayed are still with us. Cancer will never, could never touch that. So now it's on us. We need to continue to aid the research, we need to continue to do what's necessary to beat this disease. It has taken numerous people from this earth, famous or not, but with each person that passes we become more inspired. So here's to you Lauren, thank you for your fight, thank you for your courage, and thank you for your enthusiasm. You will be missed dearly, but know that your influence will never pass. Rest in peace and God bless your family and friends as they cope with this tragedy.