The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team has a new team member for this season and beyond in Hedda Sivertsson as the Scarlet Raiders - through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation - adopted the 13-year old Morristown, N.J. resident on Tuesday.

A local youngster that loves sports - especially skiing - Sivertsson has been fighting a malignant tumor in her brain.

After experiencing headaches, sickness and generally not feeling "right," Hedda and her parents went to see the doctors which resulted in an MRI. The MRI revealed the tumor which was operated on quickly and successfully, but it was discovered to be cancerous and she has been receiving radiation to combat the disease. Hedda is currently in a nine-month-long 'maintenance phase', and will be receiving a special type of proton radiation through Halloween of 2016.

A people-person that loves spending time with others, Hedda has shown great strength and an inspiring positive outlook since her diagnosis. Despite not feeling well at times, Sivertsson still remains active, going skiing with her family as recently as last weekend, playing with her dog, babysitting, working with elderly and taking part in the information sessions with doctors and her parents. She already has another skiing weekend planned for January 22-24.

A student-athlete in her own right, Hedda loves the sports of field hockey and lacrosse and will be working on her basketball skills with her new teammates in the Scarlet Raiders. On Wednesday night, she served as an honorary coach and player on the R-N bench for the game against Ramapo College in The Golden Dome Arena.

First-year Scarlet Raider Coach Ashley Cieplicki was incredibly happy to have the chance to welcome the Morristown native into the Rutgers-Newark family.

"When we found out that we had a match in Hedda we were absolutely thrilled. I have been at three schools before Rutgers-Newark, and at each stop we had been unable to find a match, so getting this opportunity is something that I, and most importantly our team, will cherish forever."

The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers 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.

"Something like this is so much more than basketball," said Cieplicki. "Hedda has 13 new sisters in our team, and we are lucky to have a new team member in Hedda. Hopefully, we can provide her with a great network of support, and I know she will give us inspiration in everything we do."

Rutgers-Newark officially adopted Hedda on Tuesday morning as she signed a National Letter of Intent to be part of the Scarlet Raiders, took a tour of the facilities and received her very own locker in the women's basketball locker room filled with a ton of Rutgers-Newark gear. She then went to lunch with the team and attended practice before serving as the team's honorary player-coach Wednesday night.

As is the case with Friends of Jaclyn, Hedda's brother William and sister Alva were also adopted, and her mother Camilla and father Per were also part of the last two days. The Sivertsson family and Scarlet Raiders will continue to foster the relationship as the season progresses and into the future.

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.


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