When she was no longer able to walk, she was there. When she began losing her ability to think clearly, she was there. When things seemed to be at their worst, she was still there.

Watching basketball was a reprieve from the disease she fought so valiantly. There, in the gym surrounded by the sights and sounds of the game she loved, Lauren Letros felt normal. Her remarkable courage inspired Being There, a gala night that supports both the research and  fight against brain cancer at Sunnybrook Hospital as well as the development of Canadian youth basketball, while honouring Lauren, who passed away at age 54 in 2014.

The annual fundraiser takes place tonight, Monday June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Parkview Manor in North York, Ont. Canada Basketball’s Senior Men’s National Team will be in attendance supporting the cause. Basketball was an enormous part of Lauren's life. Even as brain cancer robbed her of basic abilities and left the mother of two confined to a wheelchair, she would attend games at Villanova College in King City, Ont. Son Alex and daughter Adrianna would always kiss Lauren and express their pride in her before tip-off at Holy Trinity High-School. Soon it became tradition for their teammates to do the same.

Not unlike Lauren, many youth use basketball as a means to escape life’s hardships. Being There provides Canadian youth opportunity to enjoy the game as much as Lauren, whose determination in the face of a dreaded disease continues to inspire. Being There is organized by Sunnybrook Hospital and Villanova College.

Visit www.beingthere.me for tickets and information.

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