AUDIO: Lauren Hill Says Support Is "Big Boost"; Eagle 99.3 Will Broadcast "Gray Game"

Friday, October 24, 2014 at 7:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – There are times when she feels down, but Lauren Hill’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis has emboldened her to achieve quite a lot in the roughly 10 days since her story began spreading around the world. That’s when the NCAA announced it would allow Lauren’s team, the Division III Mount St. Joseph University Lions, to play their season opener early on November 2 so that Hill will have a better shot at playing in her final weeks to live. On Thursday, the NCAA announced that the U.S. Basketball Writers Association decided to immediately bestow upon the Mount St. Joseph University women’s basketball player the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award. The award is usually given to a Division I athlete or coach during the Women’s Final Four in the spring, but because Lauren is not expected to live that long, it will be presented to her sooner. With a day off from early morning practice, Lauren joined Eagle 99.3’s Bubba Bo for an on-air interview Friday morning. The 19-year-old from Greendale’s Parkside Avenue said the support from around the nation and locally has meant a great deal. “It definitely has been a big boost. I would have never thought it would have reached this far, because this has been my dream since back in January to spread awareness. That’s all I wanted to do. I’m doing bigger than what I ever thought I could,” Hill said. She committed to play ball at the Mount just weeks before her diagnosis with Diffused Intrinsic Pentene Gleoma in November of 2013. Although going through treatment, Hill continued to practice and play with the Lawrenceburg High School team. HEAR EAGLE 99.3'S INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN HILL IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW. [audio mp3="http://eaglecountryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Lauren-Hill-Interview-10242014.mp3"][/audio] Her wish to play her first college game wearing a number 22 jersey will come true November 2. One more wish she hopes can be achieved: to find a cure for DIPG. “Anybody can get brain cancer. But you just don’t associate that. It’s not something that anybody thinks about on a day-to-day basis unless it actually involves them and touched their lives. Which is kind of the importance of getting the story out so I can touch lives with this story and make people know that it’s real and happening to others,” she said. Eagle 99.3’s Bubba Bo also had a special announcement for the Hill family on Friday. The radio station will present a live broadcast of her game for the Mount versus Hiram College on Sunday, November 2 starting at 1:30 p.m. The sold-out game will tip off at 2:00. “That’s awesome,” said Hill. It’s being called Lauren Hill’s “Gray Game”. Gray is the color to raise awareness of and to show support for those affected by brain cancer. Eagle 99.3 thanks Mount St. Joseph University for allowing us to cover the special game. By the way. Lauren said she does plan on trick-or treating in Greendale this Halloween. Her costume? “A gray warrior,” she said.

Lauren Hill and her parents visited with Eagle 99.3's Bubba Bo on Friday morning. RELATED STORIES: SEI Going Gray; Community Support Building For Lauren Hill Lauren Hill Game Sells Out In About 90 Minutes Nov. 2 Declared “Lauren Hill Day” Bengals’ Still Surprises Lauren Hill Lauren Hill “Gray Game” Venue, Ticket Information Lauren Hill’s Hoops Dream Scoring Points Nationally