Denise Hans was born on June 21, 1938, in Paris, France. She is the 4th of 6 children. In 1942, her father, aunt and uncle were taken away, and Denise was left with her mother, siblings and 2 cousins in Paris. Denise later found out that her father was shot during a Death March from Auschwitz to Buchenwald, while her uncle’s family was gassed upon their arrival to Drancy concentration camp, just outside of Paris. Denise was hidden twice with farmers and then in a convent, where she and two of her sisters stayed until 1948, when they were reunited with their mother and siblings. Denise immigrated to Canada in 1956 and in 1959, she married Milan Hans, who was also a hidden child survivor from Czechoslovakia. She has three children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.