Ohana's Story
Ohana Haas (Hannah Elizabeth Haas) was born December 1, 1999 in New York City.
Her childhood was a happy one. She loved to spend time with her family and friends. She loved school, the beach, Disney princesses, art, birthday parties, Clifford the Big Red Dog, reading, school, ice skating, golf, climbing trees…we could go on and on…all was good.
But at about the age of thirteen, things began to change. Hannah started to experience bouts of depression and other emotional difficulties which continued and became more severe for the remainder of her short life.
Hannah was what one might call a “Girl, Interrupted.” Some such young people eventually make it through, but tragically our Hannah did not. We lost her on April 20, 2020 at the age of 20 to heart failure. It was caused by an eating disorder, driven by the longstanding emotional and mental health issues mentioned previously. Just 4 months before, she had released her debut album, "The Broken," which is so prominently featured here. To say she was quietly proud of this accomplishment -- a project she completely immersed herself in -- would be a massive understatement.
Our sweet girl, like so many other young people who struggle emotionally, was just too "Broken" to fix. She fought so hard, going to every length imaginable to try and get well.
The realization that she was gifted in supporting others, that her music was beautiful, relatable and helpful to so many, and that she did have a role in this world--and a big one in creating and healing herself and others--gave her a level of strength and hope that she had never before known. Hannah was truly in the midst of becoming an accomplished musical artist. Her music is a witness and legacy for her immense pain (“I know what it’s like to live in what feels like eternal darkness, and creating “The Broken” with my amazing team has been a beam of hope that now shines through me”). Hannah never had the chance to promote the album in earnest before her passing. But it lives on and will only grow better and more poignant with age.
We, her family, management and production team, are committed to getting Hannah’s music and other artistic works out into the world to fulfill Hannah’s deeply held wish to help others who struggle as she did. She left a treasure trove of unreleased multimedia works which we will be continuing to share, so please watch this space and if you haven't already, please sign up to receive updates below.
It is our hope that, as she wished, her works will “possibly give some validation and indirect support to those who have also been broken like me...”
