Jamil Newirth is a practicing Hawaii attorney who was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer at the age of 32. Jamil was born in Santa Cruz, California but grew up in Maui, Hawaii. He loves sports, including surfing, and has a great group of friends and family. He graduated from Pepperdine University and University of Hawaii’s law school. It was right after law school graduation that his life completely changed. While studying for the Hawaii bar exam he was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer, a Glioblastoma, and given only 17 months to live. That was four years ago that his entire life focus shifted to beating the odds.

A Glioblastoma is often referred to as the “terminator” because of how lethal it can be. Statistics show only 5%-10% of those diagnosed survive to 5 years and the final mortality rate is close to 100%. Jamil, unwilling to allow these statistics dictate his life, took and passed the Hawaii bar exam the year after his diagnosis while undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He continued to work even while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It was difficult and some days he was too tired to even get off the couch but it gave him the chance to not dwell on his diagnosis. He is currently a practicing attorney in Maui, Hawaii and President of UVSC. In his spare time, he likes to surf, play basketball or tennis, and keeps healthy by focusing on his diet and exercise. He also completed his first Marathon in December, 2016 and plans to keep living his life. He knows if he can overcome the odds of surviving Glioblastoma, he can do anything. In that way, cancer has actually been a blessing and a motivator. He hopes, with UVSC, he can help others battling cancer also see the positive side of their diagnosis and continue to fight their best fight. Most importantly, Jamil realizes that it is the crucial support of friends and family that continues to help him overcome cancer’s death sentence and he hopes UVSC can do the same for others so indiscriminately targeted by this disease.

With an estimated 1.7 M new cancer cases expected in 2016 alone, it’s not hard to assume that you’ll know someone affected by cancer. However for Chris Thibaut, and many like him, cancer has been a prevalent factor in his family’s history. He lost an aunt to breast cancer, his grandfather suffered from lung cancer, his uncle is currently battling throat cancer, and one of his closest friends contracted, but luckily beat, testicular cancer when in college. However, the biggest hit to him and his immediate family was when his father, Rob Thibaut, was diagnosed with cancer in 1996. After intense treatments, there was a glimmer of hope when their family was told the cancer had cleared. However, cruelly, the cancer came back shortly thereafter and he was lost in a matter of days.

Throughout Chris’ childhood, Rob launched and grew TS Restaurants from a single location on Maui, HI to a regional power player, with 13 locations between Hawaii and California. This proved highly influential to Chris, who chose to pursue restaurant entrepreneurship on his own. Over about 16 years, Chris worked in 8 of TS Restaurants’ 13 locations and now sits on its Board of Directors as Member and Owner. He has now partnered with Maui Brewing Company to launch its new Restaurant Division, expanding their brewpub locations throughout the state of Hawaii.

Greg grew up in Laguna Beach, California and has resided in West Maui with his wife and two children for the last 12 years. Greg has a proven track record of success in development and luxury real estate. His firm, Elite Pacific Properties, which provides the highest level of real estate services to its clients, has climbed to the #1 ranking luxury brokerage in the state of Hawaii under his leadership.

For the last 11 years, Greg has also been an active board member of the Donegan Burns Foundation – a nonprofit helping to provide grants for literacy and after-school programs as well as scholarships for deserving youth. Over the last decade, the foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to elementary schools to meet the needs of students with learning differences as well as full ride scholarships to deserving students around the country.

Greg is now dedicating his ambition and nonprofit experience to focus on UVSC’s mission, which is one close to his heart. Greg credits having learned the ways of success from his father, a man he truly believed to be larger than life. In 2011, Greg’s father was diagnosed with Cancer. Despite his father’s brave fight against the disease, he lost the battle shortly after his diagnosis. This was a moment where Greg decided to dedicate himself to the fight to make this story for other families become one of the past. As a UVSC board member, Greg will do whatever it takes to ensure UVSC’s mission to help cancer fighters live on is fulfilled.

Born and raised on Maui, Kandice Johns has dedicated her career to community action and improving the lives of people in Hawaii for the past 20 years. Kandice has known many friends and family members affected by cancer, substance use disorder and mental health challenges. She is passionate about trauma informed care and strengthening families to build resiliency in our community.

Kandice possesses a diverse and extensive background in program operations, finance, strategic planning, fundraising, grant writing, volunteer management, event planning and marketing. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of The Maui Farm, leading its successful farm-based, transitional housing program for single mothers and their children that are experiencing homelessness. Kandice has worked with non-profit organizations throughout the state of Hawaii to address health and social services issues, ranging from HIV/AIDS and Parkinson’s Disease to victims services and autism, in addition to ‘aina-based initiatives such as environmental sustainability and conservation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Claremont McKenna College and a MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business.

She loves traveling, being with family and friends in the surf, sand and sun, and spending time with her dog, Twix.