Lauren Hill Receives Heroic Inspirations Card
By Stephen Laroche | Beckett Basketball Editor
Upper Deck has announced that they are creating a Heroic Inspirations card for Mount St. Joseph freshman player Lauren Hill, who overcame tremendous adversity to play collegiate basketball. While making her dream come true, she has battled an inoperable brain tumor and has served as an inspiration for millions of fans since she made her debut this season.
“My goal has always been to play and contribute to the Mount St. Joseph women’s basketball team, but never could I have imagined I would have my very own Upper Deck rookie card,” noted Hill in a press release provided by the company. “It is an honor to be recognized like this and I am so happy my story has inspired hope. I hope those who have been touched by my story will want to collect my Upper Deck rookie card, especially knowing that all the proceeds from the cards will go to help The Cure Starts Now Foundation.”
How can you purchase one of these cards and support The Cure Starts Now? Find out after the jump.
Collectors and fans that visit the online store at www.layup4lauren.org will be able to purchase Hill’s card for $10. For those who wish to have a signed version of it, they can obtain one for a cost of $50. This is her first trading card and while it does not fit under the exact classifications of being a rookie card, that does not devalue the impact that it can have within the hobby. To give the card an even greater significance, Upper Deck noted via social media that the photo on the card shows her making a layup during her collegiate debut.
“Lauren Hill is the type of athlete that deserves a trading card and we wanted to do everything we could to see it happen as soon as possible,” said Upper Deck’s Senior Marketing Manager, Chris Carlin. “The cards we are creating are more than a collectible keepsake, they are a tribute to her courage and a tool to create awareness for this great cause. We are passionate about leveraging the power of the Upper Deck brand to help shine a light on her incredible story and the tremendous work of The Cure Starts Now Foundation.”
Upper Deck has thrown their support behind athletes with pediatric brain cancer in the past as they created a card for Jack Hoffman which raised over $50,000 for the Team Jack Foundation. Last year, they also worked alongside the Friends of Jacyln Foundation in order to honor Jaclyn Murphy and Jack Miller.
The Cure Starts Now Foundation has a goal of aiding research in order to not only find a cure for pediatric brain cancer, but also to help improve the quality of life for those who suffer from it.
“It has been really moving to see the awareness Lauren Hill has created for The Cure Starts Now and our mission over the last few months,” stated Brooke Desserich, executive director at The Cure Starts Now Foundation. “It is amazing how positive patients can be who are battling this disease, but what Lauren has done is truly incredible. The fact she continues to play shows she is not backing down, and it is truly inspirational. I don’t know of anyone who knows Lauren’s story that wouldn’t want one of her rookie cards.”
Stephen Laroche is the editor of Beckett Basketball and Beckett Hockey magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at slaroche@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Laroche.
