Lindsey Vonn says that Hedda Sivertsson is “as big of an inspiration to me as I am to her.”
Hedda, a 14-year-old skier, was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a malignant high-risk, cancerous tumor in her brain in summer 2015. She skied through chemotherapy and radiation. The cancer was briefly in remission, but came back. She underwent another brain surgery last month.
Vonn and Hedda struck up a friendship in 2016 and have exchanged video messages. In November, Vonn met Hedda in Colorado, documented by the U.S. Ski Team.
“When you meet an amazing girl who is bravely battling cancer, it makes the important things in life more clear,” was posted on Vonn’s social media.