De Pere, Wis. (WFRV) – A special moment Tuesday night for a De Pere girl who is going through a battle with cancer.

De Pere High School’s athletic department presented 12-year-old Hadley Baker with a varsity letter during a brief ceremony ahead of the Redbird girls basketball team’s game against Manitowoc. Players from both teams posed for a picture with Hadley to mark the occasion.

“It was so fun, I’m glad I got to do it these people mean so much to me, it really means a lot,” Hadley told affiliate WFRV after receiving her varsity letter.

Her mom said she has battled a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma since July 2023. She said they’re running out of treatment options at this point and will head to Miami this weekend to participate in a clinical trial.

Hadley’s mom said her daughter loves basketball and that the sport has been a consistent source of joy for her throughout her battle with cancer.

“I think it gives her excitement and joy,” said Hadley’s mom Lauren Baker. “It’s such a huge part of her life.”

Hadley has befriended some of the women on the UW Green Bay basketball team. She also is part of the girls basketball team at De Pere High School, cheering on her friends for most of the games from the bench. She also participates in team huddles and player introductions before the game.

“I’ve been able to get really close to Hadley and seeing her get the varsity letter was just incredible,” said Egan Bierowski who is a senior on the basketball team at De Pere High School.

“They love her, I feel like it’s like a family they treat her like one of her teammates,” said Lauren Baker. “The amount of support that she has and our family has is amazing and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Hadley said she started to suspect that this wasn’t going to be a typical game when she saw some of the television cameras and the extra people in the crowd. She said it was amazing to earn a varsity letter.

“Hadley is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met in my entire life,” said Lauren.