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Late UH Cancer Center Hope Ambassador Susan Hirano's lasting impact felt as $250K endowment launches

Gifts ensure Cancer C.A.R.E. Community patient-support program she founded will grow

July 6, 2025

2025 CARE committee members with Susan C Hirano
At the April 5 kickoff of the Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community, program founder Susan Hirano, seated, is surrounded by UH Cancer Center faculty and staff members who serve as planning committee members of the program. From left: Director of Communications Esme M. Infante; Associate Professor Dr. Erin O’Carroll Bantum; Associate Director of Development Tawney Sablan; Associate Professor Dr. Jami Fukui; Event Coordinator Michelle Hashimoto; and Professor Dr. Hideko Yamauchi.

Public encouraged to add to nearly $250,000 in donations received from Hirano Family, Tsuha Hawaiʻi Aloha, Servco Foundation and others for perpetual funding for patient-support programs

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center announces the establishment of an endowment totalling nearly $250,000 to sustain the new Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community, a patient empowerment and support program founded at the center in Kaka‘ako by the late Susan C. Hirano of Honolulu.

Launched in April 2025 under Hirano’s leadership, the Cancer C.A.R.E. Community — which stands for Community, Awareness, Research, and Emotional Well-Being — offers quarterly workshops and other educational and supportive opportunities designed to uplift cancer patients and survivors, caregivers, and families.

Top photo, left to right: son, Susan and Peter, Susan; bottom photo: Susan speaking at CARE event
Top photo, left to right: son, Susan and Peter, Susan;
bottom photo: Susan speaking at a CARE event

The endowment ensures these services continue through the UH Cancer Center in perpetuity and has raised nearly $250,000. Initial contributions have been made by Susan Hirano’s husband, Peter Hirano; Tsuha Hawaiʻi Aloha; the Servco Foundation; and other family members and friends of Susan.

Susan Hirano’s personal journey with cancer was the catalyst for the Cancer C.A.R.E. Community initiative. She was diagnosed in 2021 with stage-four metastatic breast cancer and at the time was estimated to have only about a year to live. She retired as a Realtor and undertook an effort to supplement her medical care with such practices as meditation, diet, understanding the latest research, and advocating for herself. Through this journey, she became a tireless advocate for other cancer patients. These experiences led her to work with UH Cancer Center staff and faculty to establish the Cancer C.A.R.E. Community. The initiative was renamed for her in a surprise ceremony during its kickoff event on April 5. Susan Hirano was present to celebrate and speak at the launch. She passed away peacefully at home 13 days after the launch, on April 18, at the age of 57.

“Susan believed deeply in the mission of the UH Cancer Center, and she also believed deeply in empowering and supporting patients,” said Peter Hirano. “The Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community supports and empowers individuals facing the challenges of cancer with resources and guidance to help their mind, body and spirit. Susan wanted every cancer patient to feel supported, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. This endowment is a way to carry forward that mission.”

Added UH Cancer Center Director Dr. Naoto T. Ueno, a two-time cancer survivor himself, and a cancer clinician and researcher: “Social-emotional support can improve quality of life at any stage of cancer. It has shown potential for improving health outcomes and survivorship for patients, and enhancing experiences for caregivers as well. So the UH Cancer Center is extremely proud of and excited for the growth of the Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community. Expanding patient care and support is important to the UH Cancer Center, especially as we prepare to welcome patients into our Ho‘ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center in 2026. Susan was a beloved friend to many at our center, and her legacy will continue to touch many in our community through this program and this endowment.”

To donate to and learn more about the Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community, visit UHCancerCenter.org/CancerCARE. The next free quarterly event, themed, “Mindfulness & Meditation,” will be held on July 26 at the UH Cancer Center. Register at go.hawaii.edu/rFM.

Learn more about the UH Cancer Center.

Susan Hirano is survived by her devoted husband, Peter; her son, Trevor; her stepson, Tyler; her mother, Jean Stine; and her brother, Dan. Her memory lives on in those who knew and loved her, and in the many lives she touched through her work and advocacy.

A celebration of life is planned for July 12 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

In Honolulu, on Aug. 2, there will be a 3 p.m. celebration of life at Nu‘uanu Congregational Church, followed by a reception at Oahu Country Club.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to the endowment fund for the Susan C. Hirano Cancer C.A.R.E. Community. Donations can be made to this fund at the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation:

For Online Contributions: https://giving.uhfoundation.org/funds/21074603

For Mail Contributions: Checks can be made payable to University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, with “21074603” in the memo line, and mailed to:

University of Hawaiʻi Foundation
P.O. Box 11270
Honolulu, HI 96828-0270