Photo Gallery | Friends of Jaclyn | #TeamHedda Video

NEWARK, N.J. (February 11, 2016) – The Rutgers University-Newark New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) basketball doubleheader against William Paterson on Saturday, February 6, was played in support of childhood cancer and Hedda Sivertsson – a 13-year old from Morristown that the women's basketball team adopted in January through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
 
Through the generosity of donations big and small, Rutgers-Newark raised approximately $2,000 Saturday night and has helped spread awareness around the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and the support children fighting cancer need.
 
On Saturday, Sivertsson served as an honorary coach on the Scarlet Raider bench for the second time this year, hanging with the team throughout the day in the locker room, on the sidelines and even at center court when captains and officials met pre-game. At halftime, Hedda and her father, Per, competed in a "Bag-O" contest to the delight of the crowd, and the Scarlet Raider women nearly pulled off an upset of a heavily favored William Paterson squad.
 
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers, and to raise awareness through their Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines and Guardian Angel Programs. The foundation does this by pairing the afflicted child and their siblings with local high school and college sports teams, campus clubs, and arts programs in their community.

More than 600 schools around the nation have become involved with Friends of Jaclyn, with women's basketball becoming the first team at Rutgers-Newark to get the opportunity.
 
Friends of Jaclyn Foundation was started by the Murphy Family and their daughter Jaclyn in 2005. Jaclyn was diagnosed with medulloblastoma (a malignant brain tumor) tumor in 2004 and through chance events she became connected to and later adopted by a collegiate lacrosse team as an honorary team member. The Murphy Family created the foundation to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors, allowing them to: Live in the Moment...Play in the Moment.
 
Hedda is currently in a nine-month-long 'maintenance phase' in her treatment, and will be receiving a special type of proton radiation through Halloween of 2016.
 
The Scarlet Raider women's basketball team will stay in close contact with Hedda throughout the rest of this 15-16 campaign and will look forward to hanging with their youngest teammate during offseason activities and the 2016-17 basketball season.
 
Those individuals interested in donating and supporting Hedda and her family along with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation should visit www.friendsofjaclyn.org.
 
#TeamHedda