On the recordApril 14, 2015
It is with a heavy heart that I come to the floor to speak today. Last Friday, Lauren Hill, a basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, succumbed in her battle with DIPG, a rare form of inoperable brain cancer. Following her tragic diagnosis, Lauren became an inspiration to an awful lot of people. After miraculously and courageously playing in her first college basketball game last November, she dedicated her remaining days to combating this dreadful disease, raising more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research. While we are obviously saddened by the news of Lauren's passing, I would prefer to focus on just how blessed we have been to witness Lauren's courage and her resiliency and her grace in the face of insurmountable odds. She has touched and inspired our community and, in fact, our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I am also deeply grateful to Lauren's family for their willingness to share her story with the rest of us. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them as they grieve the loss of such a remarkable young woman. ____________________
