As the holidays approach, Lauren Hill's struggles are getting more difficult.
The teenager who is battling an inoperable brain tumor told USA TODAY Sports in a piece published Tuesday, "my body is shutting down, and there's nothing I can do."
Hill's journey has been an inspiring one -- of courage, strength and awareness for a greater cause.
DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) is the rare form of brain cancer with a survival rate of less than 10 percent, according to The Cure Starts Now Foundation. Those who didn't know about it before Hill was afflicted and thrust the disease into the spotlight likely do now.
She's made that possible through one of her loves, basketball. The 19-year-old is a member of the Mount St. Joseph University hoops team and, in spite of challenges, she scored in her first game at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati and on the school's home court just this past weekend.
Hill has raised more than half a million dollars for DIPG research -- but she still wants more.
While Hill said one of her desires this Christmas is just to spend time with her family, she also described another goal that would have immense meaning.
"By the end of the year, (we) want to raise a million dollars," Hill said. "That'd be really awesome. That'd be the best Christmas present."
She also said this, another sign of her incredible perspective on life:
"What is it like to know you're dying? It's like I want to get stuff done. Like I'm in a rush. People are told they have five weeks to live, and they live five years. I don't know.
"I want everybody to know I never give up, even though I have my low moments and I feel like giving up, because they're awful. Please, is it over?"
Ultimately, Hill knows how she wants to be remembered.
"If I do pass, I don't want people to say I lost," she said. "I want, 'She kicked DIPG's butt and raised a lot of money for research.'"
Trust us, Lauren -- no one is going to say you lost.
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