HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support)

HUGS-Help, Understanding & Group Support for Hawaii's Seriously Ill Children and Their Families was founded in 1982 by a group of community volunteers who recognized the critical need for support among families with a seriously ill child. 

The mission of HUGS-Help, Understanding & Group Support for Hawaii’s Seriously Ill Children and Their Families is to improve the quality of life for Hawaii’s families as they face the emotional and financial hardships of caring for a seriously ill child.  HUGS provides free comprehensive, long-term support services for children, ages infants to 21 years old, who have a wide variety of life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, cardiac ailments, cystic fibrosis, kidney and liver disease, and their families.  Understanding that life-threatening childhood illness impacts each member of the family, HUGS provides unique programs for each family member (including siblings), such as peer support activities, respite activities, hospital visitation, family events and financial assistance, to alleviate the many stressors that they face. HUGS currently serves nearly 300 families (16,430 individuals) statewide and is not affiliated with any national organization; thus relying upon the local community to support its mission.

 The journey of these families is one of initial shock and upheaval upon diagnosis, followed by complex and prolonged medical treatment, financial hardship, unrelenting emotional distress and anxiety, and social isolation – lasting for several years or a lifetime until remission or bereavement. HUGS’ overall goal is to strengthen these families by building family resiliency, social connections and alleviating financial burden.

HUGS recognizes that each family member is impacted in different ways and our programs are designed to meet their individual needs.  They include: 1) Peer Support activities, such as family dinners, Moms Nights and Dads Nights activities, which provide a safe environment of mutual understanding and help to build support networks among others in similar circumstances; 2) Monthly and emergency respite services to help ill children and their siblings gain a sense of normalcy while their parents receive needed relief from the stresses of caregiving; 3) Weekly Hospital Visits and interactive activities for hospitalized children from all islands; 4) Bi-monthly follow up contact with family members to assess changing needs and monitor progress; 5) Financial assistance for emergency airfare from neighbor islands or to the mainland for specialized treatment, bereavement expenses, emergency food and stipends for living expenses for neighbor island families during off-island hospitalization; and 6) Sibling Support activities for siblings who struggle with their siblings’ illness.