Allen and Katherine Hart remember their daughter Lauren as a feisty girl who spoke her mind and stayed true to herself and her friends. They remember her as a fighter, someone who never quit despite the odds against her. They remember her as someone who put her mind to something and accomplished her goals, no matter what.
When doctors told 13-year-old Lauren she had Ewing’s Sarcoma, an extremely rare form of bone cancer, and that she had two years to live, she did not waver from her goal to graduate from high school and become an adult.
On May 31, Lauren and her family saw that dream come to fruition as she crossed the stage of the DTE Energy Theater. Despite the ravaging effects treatments had taken upon her, Laura smiled as she joined her friends as Clarkston High School alumni with honors.
The event was bittersweet however, as Lauren passed away in the early moring of June 5, less than a week after graduating and only a day after she celebrated her 18th birthday. Lauren’s battle with cancer lasted years longer than doctor’s expected, and though the disease had long weakened her body, never once did it weaken her heart.
To her friends and family, Lauren was more than a girl who loved art, chocolate and Orlando Bloom. ‘Monkey,? as she was affectionately called by those who knew her best, was a source of inspiration in their lives and someone who left a lasting mark on all of them.

The Artist
In life, Lauren was blessed with a close group of friends who supported her endeavors and encouraged her self expression.
‘She had a very close group of friends and they had been absolutely wonderful for her,? said Katherine. ‘They really helped her… they were there for her every step of the way.?
Throughout high school, this group of friends, called the Flying Happy Hamsters Of Deathly Doom was there for Lauren.
‘She was and still is the heart and soul of the group that we call FHHODD,? wrote Michelle Pascoe, a friend and classmate of Lauren’s who walked her across the stage at graduation. ‘We miss her.?
Lauren was an artist, and she enjoyed expressing herself through drawing and sculpting. In particular, she picked up a knack for drawing Japanese anime characters, and one year made detailed drawings of them for her closest friends as Christmas gifts.
Some of Hart’s designs were even transferred to ties and scarves sold at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee, where she received much of her treatment.
‘I had the pleasure of working with Lauren for a couple of years as her volunteer art teacher at St. Jude. Lauren had an extraordinary amount of artistic talent and it was an honor to have spent so much time with her,? wrote Joyce Petrina on the online guestbook for Smith Family Funeral Home.
During her years at CHS, Hart was an active participant in the school band and CHS Drama Club. She left a lasting impression.
‘Although she was absent often due to treatment, I’m thankful I had a chance to know Lauren,? wrote Greg Warner, who taught Lauren American Literature in high school. ? Her attitude, her sense of humor and her courage are an inspiration to me. Those traits of her personality during her sickness taught me more than I ever taught her. I can safely assume that many people have been affected in the same positive way by Lauren.?

The Warrior
No matter how cancer weakened her, Lauren’s friends remember her spirit unwavering.
‘She was very positive even though she had cancer,? Katherine said. ‘She had a very good outlook which is probably what got her as far as she did. Ewing’s Sarcoma in general is a very aggressive cancer and most kids don’t last too long and she lasted five years.?
Lauren’s parents and friends attribute her longevity to her ‘never surrender? attitude in life, one that earned her the nickname ‘Warrior? at St. Jude.
‘She was very competitive and never gave up. No matter what it was, she would fight to the end to see that she won,? wrote Pascoe. ‘When it came to video games, rematches were common as she had to keep playing until she beat us. That’s how she was when it came to her cancer. To the very end it was just another thing that needed to be beaten.
Even the frequent trips to Tennessee for treatment did not alter her personality when she came home to her friends.
‘She never gave up, she never just laid down and threw in the towel. She fought for her life even harder when the doctors would say she had only six months, and that was in the beginning of 10th grade. She well out lived that,? wrote Kim Vander Weel. ‘She also never gave up who she was, down to the last moment of her life, she was our Monkey. And I don’t care how much time passes, she will always be our Monkey.?
Some battles are not winnable, no matter how hard one tries. Even so, Lauren fought long past what doctor’s expected, and her fight inspired others.
‘Although it was one of the hardest things to do… I found that all in all the experience was one of the most inspiring times of my life,? wrote Pascoe. ‘I know that now for the rest of my life, I will always think in the back of my mind ‘If Monkey could live with cancer, I can live with this.??

The Struggle
A continuous frustration for the Hart family was the lack of information and help for children with afflictions like Lauren’s ? termed ‘orphan cancers? because only a few hundred people are diagnosed annually.
‘There has not been a lot of research put into orphan cancers and the reason for that is because pharmaceutical companies do not find it profitable. Now tell that to a mother with a child with cancer,? Katherine said.
For that reason, the Hart family had to seek out experimental therapy and treatments at St. Jude, who do their own research. Allen said they spent 60 percent of their time in St. Jude because it was the one place they found where Lauren could really get help.
‘There’s no words for it,? Allen said. ‘Compared to all the other hospitals I’ve ever seen, that hospital is so far above. I was awe struck.?
Even with their specialized treatments, the Harts knew the battle was still uphill with so little backing for rare cancer treatments.
‘There’s a lot of rare cancers out there and people are dying and suffering because there is no treatment available,? Katherine said, wishing there was a better way to draw attention to these diseases.
Even though Lauren’s fight is over, her parents are continuing in her memory. Katherine said she is debating starting a fund in her daughter’s name to support research in treating orphan cancers and Allen said for now, every dollar he makes in charitable donations continues to go to St. Jude.
For more information or to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital visit www.StJude.org. To read more comments people wrote about Lauren, visit www.smithfamilyfuneralhome.com.