Hazel Grace Lancaster

Hazel Grace Lancaster was born on September 29th 1996. She is age sixteen, is an only child and is the daughter to Mr. Lancaster and Mrs. Lancaster, friend of Isaac and girlfriend to Augustus Waters. Hazel finished high school early and has already begun pursuing a college education. She is diagnosed with Stage IV Thyroid cancer with metastasis forming in her lungs, but has managed to live with her disease owing to doses of an experimental drug called Phalanxifor (which does not exist outside of the book). In the beginning of TFIOS, Hazel's mother decides that Hazel is depressed and sends her to a Support Group that meets every Wednesday, held in a church basement, referred to as 'the Literal Heart of Jesus' by their leader Patrick. Hazel catches Augustus staring at her which he later explains by saying that she is beautiful and that he enjoys looking at beautiful people. Hazel met Augustus and Isaac in the Support Group a few weeks after she joined in the 'Literal Heart of Jesus'. During that day in Support Group it was found out that Isaac would undergo surgery and go blind in a few weeks. When Hazel first talked to Augustus, he took out a cigarette and put it between his teeth, but did not light it. After Hazel started talking about how he shouldn't smoke and that the lack of being able to breathe without help "sucks", he said the words; ''"It's a metaphor, you put the killing thing between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing." ''Augustus had then taken to calling her Hazel Grace. Augustus then compares Hazel to mid 2000s Natalie Portman. At Support Group Hazel makes a speech to Augustus about how oblivion is inevitable when Augustus states that he fears oblivion. At the Oranjee restaurant in Amsterdam Hazel says that she doesn't believe in an afterlife.

Hazel noticed that Isaac and Monica were making out and repeating the words 'always'. Augustus told her that it was their promise to always be together, always love each other, etc. After this, the two of them always repeated the word 'okay' instead of 'always', saying that the word 'okay' would be their version of 'always'.

Hazel is extremely compassionate and thoughtful, and she read out 'encouragements' for Gus' parents even though she personally doesn't believe in them. She is also very intellectual and intelligent and thinks about the universe's need for attention. She is also very beautiful, a trait John Green effectively brought out through her friend Kaitlyn.

Hazel constantly re-read the book, An Imperial Affliction, by Peter Van Houten (not a real book). Because she is obsessed with his book, her dying wish is to meet him. When she was 13 she used her wish to go to Disney World feeling pressured into doing so because there was a high risk of her dying. When Augustus contacted Peter's assistant (Lidewij) via E-mail, Hazel was gob-smacked. Augustus then used his one dying wish to go to Amsterdam, where he left, and meet Peter and Lidewij, and invited with Hazel along. For medical reasons, Hazel's mother also joined the trip.

The meeting with Peter took a negative turn. He stated, upon their arrival, that he had actually not expected nor wished them to come, and only invited them rhetorically. He also refused to tell Hazel the answers that she wanted. Peter also concluded with: “You are a side effect of an evolutionary process that cares little for individual lives. You are a failed experiment in mutation.” Hazel replied with a rage, and she and Augustus left.

Appearance
Hazel is described as having a pageboy haircut with dark brown hair and green eyes, she describes herself as having 'chipmunk cheeks' from steroidal treatment. She suffers from stage IV cancer and metastasis which has spread to her lungs. For this reason, Hazel must carry an oxygen tank (which she calls Philip) and nasal canulas wherever she goes. She also usually wears converse shoes, which she quotes to wear when she dresses up as her favorite character out of 'An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten.

Augustus "Gus" Waters
Hazel Grace starts to develop strong feelings for Augustus early in the book, even though she tries to suppress these feelings. Augustus and Hazel begin as very close friends, Hazel then falls in love with Augustus- "I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly and then all at once." She really adores Augustus, she likes that he has "existentially fraught free throws" and that he finishes his story with someone else. Hazel falls for Augustus' smile, crooked and too big for his face, and his clear eyes.

Kaitlyn
Hazel and Kaitlyn are school friends. She is described as British 25 year old socialite stuck in 16 year old teenager. They drifted apart, but Hazel says she likes to spend a little time with her. Hazel meets up with her at the mall in the beginning of the story, later lies and says that she is leaving. She is one of the only girls she can talk with who doesn't judge her for her cancer. Kaitlyn never wears open toed shoes for a fear that her second toes show. Hazel describes her as being the only person she had ever met with 'toe specific dysmorphia', which is when you see something not as it really is.

Patrick
Patrick is the leader of the Support Group. Hazel is not a friend of Patrick but she doesn't hate or like him very much. She enjoys making fun of him. Hazel feels a bit sorry for Patrick, since he doesn't have a proper life but nevertheless she and Patrick don't talk much. He had testicular cancer and at every Support Group he tells the somber tale of his ballessness and is now "''addicted to video games, living with his parents and is eking out a meager living by exploiting his cancertastic past and is waiting for the sword of Damocles which he escaped to those many years ago." ''

Mrs. Lancaster
Hazel loves her mother as much as she loves her father and is very connected to her. At times she wants her to just leave her alone and thinks she doesn't understand her condition or her feelings, but deep down she knows her mother loves her. Her mother later reveals to Hazel that she has been studying to become a 'Patrick'. Hazel is unaware that her parents have a life other than her.

Mr. Lancaster
Hazel loves her father very much. Sometimes she thinks he doesn't understand her or her feelings but aside from that, she cares for him and doesn't want to hurt or upset him. When Hazel goes to Amsterdam without him, he gets emotional, and he is seen as over-protective by Hazel. Her father cries a lot and, according to Hazel, has the same vague understanding about her disease as she does.

Peter Van Houten
Hazel says early in the book that Peter Van Houten is her favorite author of all time and that she wanted to meet him to find out how An Imperial Affliction ended and for him to answer some questions that she has wanted to know for a very long time, as well as what happened with all the characters. She writes a letter to him to which not he, but his ex-assistant Lidewij Vligenthart replies. Later, Augustus takes Hazel to Amsterdam where they both meet Peter Van Houten and Hazel is disappointed to find out that Van Houten is really a raging alcoholic who has given up on writing. It is revealed later that Peter wrote An Imperial Affliction for his daughter, Anna, who died of leukemia.

Isaac
Isaac is Hazel's friend at Support Group. At the beginning of the book, he has a girlfriend named Monica. When he has to get surgery to remove the cancer in his eye, which makes him blind, Monica dumps him, saying she can't handle it. After, Issac throws a tantrum which in he ends up breaking Augustus's basketball trophies. Later in the book, the three of them end up egging Monica's car, to help Issac deal with the breakup. At the end of the book, he mentions that when he and Augustus ever got together, Augustus would only talk about Hazel.

Trivia

 * Her favorite book is An Imperial Affliction.
 * Her middle name is Grace, which was put in there because John Green had a cancer friend named Esther Grace Earl.