Basketball star Lauren Holiday reflects on the joy her daughter brought after a harrowing health care journey

Lauren Holiday, formerly Cheney, was six months into her pregnancy when doctors found a benign growth on the right side of her brain. She used to play soccer in the United States. Now, five months after giving birth to her daughter Jrue Tyer and having her tumor removed, the athlete says that her child has helped her get through hard times.

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“I have never quite known suffering like I experienced the last six months,” Lauren, 29, wrote under a picture of her happy daughter being held up by her NBA player husband, Jrue Holiday. “Every night I remember saying to myself, ‘There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.'” It was like I was half believing it and half not believing that this was my life. I learned the Bible by heart, and some days I felt strong in my faith and other days I was scared to death.

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The woman who used to play on the U.S. women’s soccer team said, “This smile always reminds me that happiness does come in the morning.” It might not happen tomorrow or even in a month, but it does. I have no idea what heaven is like if this is the happiness I get to feel here on earth.

Jrue said in September that he would not be with the New Orleans Pelicans at the start of the 2016–17 season so that he could help his wife get better.

Jrue, 26, told NOLA.com, “My family comes before anything else.” Of course I feel lucky to be able to play this game and be where I am, but my wife is the most important thing to me. She is more important than anything else.

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According to ABC News, The terrible headaches Lauren had while she was pregnant with Jrue Tyler led doctors to find out she had a meningioma, a type of brain tumor.

Jrue told NOLA.com that Lauren has good days and bad days, with some days being better than others. “Everyone knows she’s tough; she’s the toughest woman I know.” That’s the reason I married her.

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ABC News reports that doctors started Lauren’s labor early to speed up her brain surgery, which was safely done at Duke University Hospital in October.

Jrue and Lauren met while they were both living at UCLA. They got married in July 2013. Lauren has won two gold medals at the Olympics, with the U.S. women’s soccer team winning in Beijing and London. NOLA.com says she quit last summer so that she and Jrue could start a family.