Lauren Hill's college basketball dream, realized during two games in November, appears over as she signed up Monday for hospice care to manage worsening effects of her terminal brain cancer.
The 19-year-old's family posted on the Facebook page Lauren's Fight for Cure: "There has been now major changes in symptoms. Her headaches have flared up a little more than usual and balance issues just depend on the day and how tired she is."
Hill was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last winter. She had been recruited to play for Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, and she clung to that dream even as symptoms flared as she approached her freshman year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association waived rules to allow Mount St. Joseph to play its first game early to give her a chance of competing before she became too weak.
The Hill family revealed they had originally planned to sign Hill up for hospice in October or November, but because of the basketball games, they tabled those plans.
Tickets to the first game sold out in minutes, and Sports Illustrated reported that it raised more than $70,000 for pediatric brain cancer research.
Now Hill also is having difficulty sleeping, her family said. However, they wrote that Lauren appears to be in good spirits and the Indiana family has accumulated more resources for her comfort.
"We have already been able to get supplies to help make things easier here at home," they said.