Cameo Tietje ‘18
Sports Editor
Lauren Holiday played midfield and forward for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team from 2007 to 2015. Holiday started her collegiate career with the UCLA Bruins and then played for FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion. In 2011, at the FIFA Cup, Holiday made the All-Star team and in 2007 she earned US Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. Holiday is one of the world’s most respected players and fights for every second on and off the field.
This past June, Holiday went to the doctor with symptoms of severe headaches. Multiple doctors’ reviews determined there was a benign meninjioma tumor in her brain, which needed to be removed due to its proximity to her orbital socket. Unfortunately, Holiday was four months from giving birth to her first child. She decided to wait until after she gave birth to have surgery in order to protect the child. Her husband Jrue Holiday, a player on the New Orleans Pelicans, was by her side every step of the way and planned to take off an indefinite amount of time during his season. “My family comes before basketball,” he told NOLA.com, “I’m obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else.” Lauren retired from the USWNT to start her family, which was an obvious and major priority for both her and her husband. With Jrue’s support and Lauren’s ability to fight through and overcome adversity, they battled through the pregnancy. In the end, the doctors induced an early labor to speed up Lauren’s surgery.
Lauren had the support of friends, family members, teammates, and her loving husband when her surgery took place on Thursday. Many people, like Ashlyn Harris and Alex Morgan, took to social media to show their support. For example, the USWNT wore wristbands to their game on Wednesday that said LH12, which are Holiday’s initials and old jersey number. Jrue has proven through Lauren’s pregnancy that he is willing to stand by her side during the toughest days. He will be taking care of his family, Lauren and their daughter, during her recovery. Jrue will miss the beginning of the NBA season while he stands by his wife and daughter’s sides. Although he will be absent from a few games, Jrue’s teammates are more than supportive and understanding. “We understand that Jrue will miss some games and his teammates are prepared to step up in his absence,” said Dell Demps, vice president and general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans. Lauren’s condition post-surgery has not yet been released to the public, although news will likely be public by the end of the week.
