Northwestern University Women’s Lacrosse on HBO’s “Real Sports”

The HBO series “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” will air a segment tonight (7/21/09) about how the Northwestern University women’s lacrosse team began their amazing championship run after meeting a 9 year-old New York girl diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The “Friends of Jaclyn” segment on tonight’s show at 9pm focuses on the relationship between young cancer survivor Jaclyn Murphy and the lacrosse team.

Jaclyn Murphy, a 9-year-old with a brain tumor, was “adopted” by the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team.

(HBO/REALsports) – Boasting five consecutive national championships, the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team might be the most dominant program in NCAA history. For those close to the team, it’s common knowledge that their magic run began only after a secret weapon was brought in: Jaclyn Murphy.

Diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at age nine, the Hopewell Junction, NY native was in desperate need of a lift when the team reached out to her. Four years later, Murphy is a healthy, cancer-free 14-year-old, while Northwestern hasn’t lost a national championship since their initial meeting.

Inspired by their uplifting relationship, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation has been established to link other children with malignant brain tumors to college teams around the country. Correspondent Frank Deford reports this remarkable story.

In 2004 the relationship between Jaclyn and Northwestern grew into the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The organization links children with malignant brain tumors to college teams across the country.