Living On: How UVSC Brings Financial Relief and Hope to Families Facing Cancer

UVSC Executive Director, Kandice Johns, with UVSC Hero, Halaʻi

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the impact extends far beyond medical appointments or treatment plans—it touches every corner of a family’s life, including their finances. From flights off-island to missed paychecks, medication costs, and daily essentials, the burden can quickly become overwhelming.

That’s where Us Versus Cancer (UVSC) steps in.

PCF is proud to partner with UVSC as our largest referral organization, working together to ensure that no one in Maui County has to navigate cancer alone. From coordinated support to thoughtful collaboration, this partnership is grounded in trust, shared values, and a commitment to equity.

UVSC offers direct financial assistance to cancer patients and families across Hawai‘i, helping them stay afloat during some of the hardest chapters of their lives. Whether it’s support for rent, groceries, utilities, or other treatment-related expenses, UVSC helps ease the stress so patients can focus on healing, dignity, and time with loved ones.

At the heart of this mission is Executive Director Kandice Johns, who leads the organization with deep compassion, strategic insight, and an unwavering belief in the power of community care. Born and raised on Maui, Kandice understands firsthand the cultural and logistical realities that make cancer care especially challenging in Hawai‘i—and works tirelessly to meet each family with empathy and respect.

To learn more about UVSC’s work—and the heart behind it—we connected with Kandice for a conversation about hope, hardship, and the quiet strength of those who “live on.”

What led you to join UVSC, and what about its mission spoke to you personally?

I believe that hope starts with us. I’ve always been drawn to advancing causes that make a lasting difference in our communities in meaningful ways, and I have also had many family members and friends that have battled cancer. I’ve known UVSC’s Co-founder, Jamil Newirth, for many years and was familiar with his personal cancer journey that led to the formation of UVSC, which in and of itself is a miraculous story of strength, courage and beating the odds. I was really inspired seeing how much community support UVSC had and welcomed the opportunity to lead its ongoing growth and expansion throughout Hawaiʻi.

What kinds of financial challenges do cancer patients in Hawai‘i face that people may not always see?

I think the greatest financial challenge is the additional costs that patients and caregivers incur when they must travel for treatment (i.e. neighbor island patients traveling to O’ahu; or patients traveling to the mainland). Treatment plans and cost are highly dependent on an individual’s insurance provider, as well as availability of specialists to treat a given type of cancer (often times more rare and aggressive types of cancer are referred to treatment on the mainland). Patients on Molokai and Lana’i also have the added challenge of access to only one airline carrier, which experiences frequent delays and cancellations. This means that often patients that are traveling to O’ahu must add additional days to their travel to ensure they don’t miss their scheduled appointments, which adds to their out-of-pocket costs for travel and increases days away from work.

Another major challenge is that roughly half of households in Hawai’i are struggling to make ends meet prior to experiencing any financial hardship related to emergency medical care. However, their income level is still too high to allow them to qualify for many forms of government assistance (e.g. SNAP). Making the decision to pay for treatment-related expenses often leads to high debt and trade-offs to forgo other essentials, like food, transportation and childcare, which have profound impacts on the entire family.

You work closely with PCF to support many of our clients. What do you value most about this partnership?

I value the trust, collaboration and shared values we have to provide the best services and support possible to families that are impacted by cancer. PCF is UVSC’s largest source of referrals presently and its staff provides direct navigation and supportive services to hundreds of cancer patients in Maui County each year. PCF and UVSC both understand that there are not enough resources to meet the needs of our community members fighting cancer, so we work together to complement each other’s unique services and strengths in a way that most efficiently helps the patients and avoids adding extra stress or work to their very full plates.

Some people hesitate to ask for help. What would you say to someone who might feel unsure or unworthy of financial support?

You are not alone, you are worthy and UVSC is here to help. Don’t wait - please reach out. Although UVSC’s resources are limited and we can’t provide support to every applicant, we try our best to help as many people as we can. Outside of direct financial support, we can also help to connect people to other financial resources and cancer supportive services. UVSC is also a Thrive Causemetics Giving Partner and provides self-care kits for cancer patients, caregivers and family members.

Can you share a moment or story that reminded you why this work is so important?

At the heart of UVSC’s mission is hope – believing that the impossible can be possible; and never giving up. Last year, UVSC held its first Catalyst for Hope fundraiser, which was a full-circle mission moment. UCLA neuro-surgeon, Dr. Linda Liau, attended the event as our keynote speaker standing alongside her former patient, UVSC co-founder, Jamil, who was previously given a 1% chance of survival – over 10 years ago. UVSC Hero, 19-year old Kosianjra, who is recovering from acute myeloid leukemia also attended. Kosianjra’s family received financial assistance from UVSC when they were navigating relocation from the Maui fires at the same time of her diagnosis and treatment on O’ahu.

Knowing that people like Jamil and Kosianjra beat the odds everyday reminds me why this work is so important – we are not just providing hope, we are helping people have the resources they need to keep fighting and healing. UVSC started with one person’s cancer journey, and now is touching the lives of hundreds of people in our community, creating endless ripples of positive impact throughout Hawaiʻi and beyond. Kosianjraʻs mom put this into words perfectly when she shared with us, “Itʻs a gift that keeps on giving, beyond financial; it allows Kosianjra to then give back to others - just by being herself.”

UVSC often says, “UVSC helps those fighting cancer live on.” What does that phrase—live on—mean to you personally, and how do you see it reflected in the people you support through this work?

During a person’s cancer journey and treatment, each day feels and looks differently (for that person and for their family members/caregivers). Some days are really hard, some days are good; and mental state of mind is so powerful. To me, “living on” means seeing past the cancer and nurturing, honoring and holding space for all those parts of themselves and their lives which lie beyond the disease.

By reducing financial stress, UVSC aims to give patients more energy to focus on staying positive, healing and living on – looking forward to enjoying parts of their lives that may have been put on hold or changed.

For example, one man UVSC supported is now recovering from treatment and looking forward to getting back into the water and spearfishing, which he hasnʻt been strong enough to do for some time. He will be participating in UVSCʻs annual Trucker Dukes Memorial Dive tournament this summer with a youth diver.

Helping people reconnect to their passions and parts of their lives outside of their cancer experience is ultimately what living on is all about.

How does UVSC determine how best to support each applicant, given the wide range of needs?

Given the wide range of needs, we prioritize patients/families with the greatest needs looking at a combination of factors impacted by cancer treatment, including: income, household size, treatment needs, geographic barriers, existing support systems, and access to essential needs. UVSC has a small staff of one (just me!), so we strategically leverage the extensive knowledge, experience and reach of our community partners to achieve greater scale of services. Provider and case manager referrals also provide key information to help UVSC get a full picture of a patient’s needs.

This year, UVSC plans to support an estimated 40-50 families facing cancer and we aim to continue to grow and serve more families as our funding and staff grow in the future.

What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the true cost of cancer care?

It’s really difficult and complicated to estimate this due to lack of Hawaii-specific data and varying methodologies. The true cost of cancer for patients may include: out-of-pocket costs of treatment, patient time costs (time that patients spend traveling to and from health care, waiting for care, and receiving care), income disruption, and opportunity cost (which is not only financial due to the fact that time is a finite resource in one’s lifespan). Also, cancer impacts the whole household or family’s financial situation and quality of life; not just the person experiencing cancer. The cost or burden to each of the other family or household members is often not taken into account in reported true cost calculations.

How can the Maui community help UVSC continue this vital work?

Ways to support UVSC’s work:

• Give: UVSC relies on donations to support its life-changing programs. Gifts of any amount make a real difference in our community.

• Attend an Event: Join us at the 3 rd Annual Trucker Dukes Memorial Dive (July 19, 2025) or Catalyst for Hope (Nov. 21, 2025)

• Share, Like, Post: Help spread the word on social media about UVSC’s services so we can reach those who need us most and those with the resources to support our work.

• Partner: Financial Assistance Program Referrals are welcomed from health care providers and community organizations who work with people facing cancer.

• Keep in touch: Sign up for our email newsletter to stay updated on program impact, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.

• Board Service: If you are interested in learning more about joining our Board of Directors, please contact kandice@uvsc.org to learn more.