Bean Join us New Year's Eve at Detroit • Special New Year'S Menu • Music & Dancin4 • Call for Reservations Out Of Tragedy Dorfman family funds professorship at U-M children's hospital. WHITLEY HILL Special to the Jewish News Ann Arbor A t the heart of healing, at the core of medical research and clinical care, are relationships between people. It is these relationships — the bond between patient and physician, the collaboration among scientists, and the love among family members — that can intersect in powerful ways to fight disease. The $2 million Henry and Mala Dorfinan Family Professorship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Michigan was established in September to fur- ther research, clinical rare and education in pediatric cancer, which has profoundly touched the Dorfman family. Boxer In the mid-1980s, Henry and Mala Dorfman's daughter, Gayle Weiss, gave birth to her second child, Brandon. Soon after birth, the baby was diagnosed with congenital thrombocytopenia — an extremely rare blood disorder. On the advice of physicians, the family brought Brandon to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan. They met Dr. Larry Boxer, a pediatric oncologist who worked tirelessly to help the child. Mala Dorfman recalls that terrible time: "You go through hell. You live Shuttle Seniee to All - Downtown Venues! from one minute to the next. We spent months and months in the hospital," she said. But the scientific understanding of this devastating disease was in its earliest stages. Despite every best effort, Brandon died when he was 3. There was no reason to suspect that this was anything but a tragic fluke. Gayle's third child, Devin, was born in 1990, and showed no sign of the disease. But two years later, Logan was born. Gayle's brother Joel recalls, "Logan had an unusual skin color at birth and we became frightened immediately. When we called Dr. Boxer, he couldn't believe his ears. But fortunately, thera- pies had advanced in the nine years since Brandon's birth. It was now possible to consider a bone marrow transplant that would be performed at the University of Minnesota. And Dr. Boxer was again involved every step of the way, as if this battle for life were for his very own son. Today, Logan's blood is perfectly nor- mal. Henry Dorfman died in December 2001, but not before the seeds of the U- M professorship were planted. The chair was created to honor the relationship between the Dorfman family and Dr. Boxer and will fund research for many years to come. Fl Since 1948 RESTAI RANT OF DETROIT AND 'I'I oy 248.588.6000 313.832.1616 1477 John It at Maple • Troy 4222 Second St. • Detroit " Below: Dr. Allen Lichten dean of the U-M Medical School, with Carol and Joel Dorfman of Bloomfield Hills, Mala Dorfman of Franklin and Gayle Weiss of Bloomfield Hills. Call Angela at 313-471-3454 for information on Bar & Bat Mitzvahs Also, spend New Year's Eve with us - great dinner and show package available including the popular Second City Show that the Detroit Free Press loves: "Lots of Laughs!" TEN ****..tof**** PFISS Call 313-965= Next to the Fox Ihrmbe Fret • THE GALLERY RESTAURANT Enjoy gracious dining amid a beautiful atmosphere of casual elegance BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER 41 41 OPEN 7 DAYS: MON.- SAT. 7 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. SUN. 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. West Bloomfield Plaza • 6638 Telegraph Road and Maple • 248-851-0313 12/26 0.X.0524550 2003 65