Daniel, Lori and
Hayden Buckfire

The daughter of Dr. Joel Haber and
Arlene Haber, Lori grew up in Bloomfield
Township with her brother, Bradley, and
attended Bloomfield Hills Andover High
School. After graduation, she attended
Arizona State University in Phoneix, where
she graduated with a degree in art.
Joel Haber was diagnosed with a rare
melanoma cancer in May 2009, and
learned the severity of his illness as he
accompanied Lori on one of her many che-
motherapy treatments. Joel passed away
in April 2010, three months before his
daughter.
Lori's battle with cancer was covered
by the Detroit Jewish News in May 2007,
two years after her diagnosis. In that story,
Buckfire spoke of the American Cancer
Society's annual Relay for Life, saying of
the event that "it is elating to know I'll be
part of the camaraderie of people getting
together for such a good cause:' Her family
is hoping to do the same now in her mem-
ory to help others who have been affected
by this disease.
For more information on the event or
the Lori Haber Buckfire Foundation, or to
order a book/poster, visit www.planetlori.
com or email Daniel Buckfire at daniel@
buckfirelaw.com.

❑

Alison Schwartz is the vice president of CKC
Agency.

New book and charitable foundation celebrate the life of a
young mother who lost her battle with ovarian cancer.

Alison Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News

I

t was an unthinkable diagnosis. Just
eight weeks after the birth of her
first child, Lori Haber Buckfire of
Bloomfield Hills was given the devastat-
ing news in May 2005 that she had Stage
IV ovarian cancer. At age 36, what should
have been the most joyous time of her life
as a new wife and mother became the start
of a five-year medical journey involving
multiple surgeries and seemingly endless
rounds of chemotherapy.
Although Lori knew her long-term
prognosis was not good, she approached
life as any young mom would, taking the
attention off of herself to focus on her
family and making sure her son, Hayden,
was happy. She marked each of Hayden's
birthdays with a letter penned to him and
spoke often of her hope to be able to take
him by the hand to his first day of kinder-
garten. Sadly, Lori died six weeks before
she was able to do so, in July 2010, at age
41.
"Throughout Lori's five-year battle with
ovarian cancer, she chose not to be defined
by the disease said her husband, Daniel
Buckfire, 46. "Each struggle filled with
pain and fear was answered by joy, hope,
courage and the will to make every good

42

September 5 • 2013

moment last:'
For her family and friends though,
Lori's memory, talent and spirit live on in
a new book published in her honor. The
Best of Times, the title Lori had picked out
for the book she hoped to one day write,
has now been written in Lori's own words
from her emails and her blog, which she
started after her diagnosis so that family
and friends could keep updated on how
she was doing. The book is and illustrated
with her own original artwork and per-
sonal photographs. It was put together
by Lori's husband and graphic designer
Laurie Blume.
The book will debut at the inaugu-
ral fundraising event of the Lori Haber
Buckfire Foundation to be held at the
Janice Charach Art Gallery in the Jewish
Community Center (6600 W. Maple Road,
West Bloomfield) on Saturday, Sept. 21,
from 7-10 p.m. The Best of Times, in addi-
tion to posters of Lori's original artwork,
will be available for purchase.
Funds raised will provide support
for the Planet Lori Art Camp at the
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
(BBAC) for children who have or had a
parent with cancer. Lori loved children
and spent many afternoons doing art proj-
ects with her son Hayden (now 8). Art is
often used to help children communicate,

The Best of Times

This excerpt is written in exactly Lori's
style:

overcome stress and heal from tragedy.
Funds will also be used for ovarian cancer
research and education, and for BRCA
gene awareness.
"The family's publication of the book is
our way of ensuring that Hayden knows
how precious the time was that he and his
mother had together and that he never
loses the love they shared for one another:'
Daniel says. "The book fulfills Lori's wish
to always celebrate the best of times:'

"one thing that i learned early on in my
cancer diagnosis is that life goes on. its
strange, but I got used to it. i used to
wonder how all of these people walking
by me could go on with their seemingly
normal lives when i had cancer. i recall
a nurse, upon when asking me how i
was doing, smiled at my response. i told
her that i was so busy with my kid and
the rest of my life that i kept forgetting
that i have my cancer to deal with. She
was smiling, because, as she said, `thats
how its supposed to be: thats when I
realized that, duh! ... life does go on!
And I wouldnt want it any other way.
Because why would i want to fight so
hard for my life, if i were only going to
waste time worrying about living, and
not actually LIVING it! what would
be the point of adding extra years on
to my life if i were going to be miser-
able during those extra years? doesn't
it make more sense to enjoy it? im not
the most practical or brilliant person
who ever walked this earth, and even i
know this!"

- Lori Haber Buckfire