A young Kentucky basketball fan was simply trying to enjoy his favorite sport when a freak accident would take his life.
On Monday, 8-year-old Eli Hill was playing basketball when the backboard of his basketball goal fell off of the post and landed on him. The incident caused blunt force trauma to the chest and Hill later died at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Ashley Hill, Eli’s mother, stated she was inside cooking dinner while Eli was in the driveway playing basketball when the incident occurred.
According to WKYT, Hill had gone to get something to stand on in order to dunk when the accident happened. In the aftermath, his family said they were able to donate his organs, including the youngster’s “heart of gold.”
“Eli was only eight. But in his eight years, he has shined his light so bright,” said Eli’s mom, Ashley Hill. “We’re just so proud of him. We are just so proud of the legacy he’s left behind.”
“I always knew that Eli was going to do something special with his life, but I didn’t know this was it,” Ashley Hill said. “He was brilliant and I’m not just saying that because he’s mine. He talked early. He walked early. He was so intuitive. He felt deeply for people. He loved people and he loved God.”
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Eli’s father, Adam Hill, added that he was so loved and will be dearly missed by his older sister and younger brother.
