article: The casket of promising basketball player Lauren Hill has been moved into the 10,000-seater arena where she made her first basket in a college game just five months ago. The 19-year-old defied doctors' expectations after she was diagnosed with a rare form of inoperable brain cancer just after her 18th birthday. She was told she would not live past December but died four months later this month after playing with her college team at Mount St Joseph University in Cincinnati to raise $1.5million for research into childhood cancer. Scroll down for video . The casket of  basketball player Lauren Hill was placed at the site where she made her first basket five months ago, before she died of an inoperable brain tumour this month. Her high school team mates gathered to remember her at a memorial today in the arena where she scored her first basket for her college team . Today mourners at the arena celebrated her life and determination in the face of the obstacles she overcame in her short life. Hill was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma after she became dizzy following a basketball game with her high school team in nearby Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The tumour is found on the brain stem and can cause double vision and difficulty controlling facial expressions. Due to its position at the back of the brain treatment can be particularly difficult and it is impossible to operate on, making prognosis poor. After doctors found the tumour just after the teenager's 18th birthday she was told she had just two years left. But in September, as her condition worsened, she was told she would not last until December. The Mount St Joseph freshman devoted her final year to playing basketball, raising money for cancer research, and inspiring others. She played four games, raising $1.5million for pediatric cancer and leaving a legacy of fundraising that will be continued after her death. When her condition began to worsen and she became too ill to play, Hill helped out the team as a coach. Lauren Hill was a keen basketball player but she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which was inoperable and significantly changed her appearance as she resolved to carry on playing in the final months of her life (right) The treatment she had significantly altered her appearance but she was determined to keep playing and raising funds for as along as she could. Before the season started, the US Basketball Writers Association voted her the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, which is normally awarded at the Final Four. This was noted again at the women's Final Four a week ago. She was also honored at local sporting events and was featured on a box of Wheaties - known as the Breakfast of Champions. Basketball star LeBron James posted an emotional farewell letter to the teenager via Twitter on Friday, just hours after she passed away from her rare tumor. Hill is seen shooting a lay up during the November 2 game - her first for the Mount St Joseph's team . During her first NCAA college basketball game on November Hill gave a thumbs-up as she holds the ball . 'She made you think:" What am I doing with my life?" said Lexy Saraswate, 19, a Xavier student who volunteered to work at the memorial service. "How can I be a better person?" 'Just her courage. I felt that was the thing: What do you do when you're staring death in the face? She set a goal for herself and accomplished it, even surpassed it. She's an inspiration.' Hill's casket was brought by a hearse to Xavier's Cintas Center - the site where she made a left-handed layup to open a Division III game on November 2. The match was moved forward to this date with permission of the NCAA because of her declining condition. Hill parents, Brent (left, front) and LIsa (right) entered the Cintas Center for their daughter's memorial . Hill's high school basketball team, the Lawrenceburg Tigers, carried her jersey and a net into the memorial . Memorabilia from Hill's basketball career including a ball, net and her jersey, were placed by the casket . The public memorial was held at Xavier University in Cincinnati, with Hill's casket decorated with flowers . Mr and Mrs Hill (right) followed the casket at the conclusion of the hour-long memorial service in Cincinnati . The arena was packed for the game, which started with a set play to get her a left-handed layup. She also made a right-handed layup late in the game, sealing the team's 66-55 victory over Hiram College. The backboard and basket were off to the side, with the attached game clock and shot clock set to 22 — her number. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a type of brain tumor found in the part of the brainstem at the lower back of the brain. Due to the tumor's location, it can cause double vision, difficulty controlling eye movement and facial expressions, and difficulty swallowing and chewing. It may also cause weakness in the limbs. The condition primarily affects children most often between the ages of four and nine. Between 100 and 150 new diagnoses are made a year in the U.S. Only 300 are made across North America and Europe a year. It can be treated with radiation, but chemotherapy is generally not effective and surgery is impossible due to the spread of the cancer into healthy tissue. Unlike with other childhood cancers, there has been little progress in improving treatments and cure rates for the condition over the last few decades. Fewer than 10 per cent of children with DIPG survive two years after their diagnosis. Source: DIPG Registry . Coach Dan Benjamin gently kissed her gray No. 22 jersey before stretching it over the casket. Former teammates dabbed their eyes with tissues as they sat in folding chairs on the floor. A few thousand people stood silently in the stands. 'She has revealed to us that one person can make a difference,' said Dr. Mariko DeWire, one of her physicians. 'She truly is our victorious hero.' A video of the layup she made only 17 seconds into Mount St. Joseph's 66-55 win over Hiram College in the season-opening game was also played. In a highly personal one hour ceremony songs from the basketball player's iPod were played. The second song on her playlist was James Taylor's 'You've Got A Friend.' One of her favorite songs — Katy Perry's 'Roar' — was played as her casket was wheeled out to a standing ovation. Hill will be buried in a private service on Wednesday. Family photos flanked the casket, along with a photo of her in a cape and a quote from actor Christopher Reeve: 'A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere in spite of overwhelming obstacles.' Hill tried to make the last months of her life about helping and inspiring other people. Through a nonprofit foundation, she helped to raise roughly $1.5 million for research into pediatric cancer. Shortly before she died, she set a goal of raising $2.2 million — matching her uniform number. Hill's team mates at Mount St Joseph University gathered to remember the teenager and her efforts . Mourners were played a video which showed her achievements during her successful basketball career . People gathered to attend the one hour long memorial service at Xavier University in Cincinnati . The fundraising campaign will continue through the school and the foundation. A number of people have praised the teenager's courage and determination as she battled her condition. 'Lauren chose to be the victor,' said the Reverend Corey Potts from her church in Indiana. 'When she was in the hospital, I went to see Lauren expecting to cheer her up. And she cheered me up.' To donate to the campaign visit http://www.thecurestartsnow.org/ . Lauren is pictured enjoying Easter and St Patrick's Day from hospital in Cincinnati shortly before her death . Hill used her limited energy to inspire people and raise money for research into the cancer that took her life . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
highlights: Lauren Hill was a promising basketball player diagnosed with rare tumour .
  Was given two years to live at just 18, which was reduced to two months .
  Teenager defied the odds to carry on playing basketball for months more, raising money for research into childhood cancer before her death .
  At a public memorial today her casket was placed in the arena and at the site where she made her first basket, with items from her basketball career .
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