Photo Credit: fox40.com
Break out the tissues, this one’s bound to pull on your heartstrings.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, has changed the date for the season opener for Women’s Basketball to November 2nd. The reason behind their decision is much more bittersweet than you would think. This change was implemented for Mount Saint Joseph College freshman Lauren Hill, who was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma (DIPG). The news came to Hill just after committing to the school over the Spring.
Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma is not a mass, rather it is a cancer with roots at the base of the brain with tentacle like growths weaving through nerves. This is an inoperable form of cancer, and Hill was initially given two years to live. Unfortunately, a recent MRI revealed the cancer had grown, and doctors deemed she would not make it past December of this year.
In an ESPN article, columnist D’Arcy Maine stated that the NCAA has bumped up the season opener to November 2nd to give Hill a chance to play college basketball. The MSJ Lions will take on Hiram College in a match up that was originally slated to happen later that month.
We should all applaud Hill’s bravery and determination, and whatever team we chose to root for, we should all keep Lauren Hill in our thoughts.
A great day for the NCAA and especially Mount Saint Joseph College freshman Lauren Hill
[…] it is men and women doing things that most of us could never even imagine doing. In the case of Lauren Hill, the story is much deeper. Hill is a 19-year-old college freshman who is battling terminal […]