About Keira Grace Foundation
Founded in 2004, by Drs. Michael and Eileen Lauzardo, the Keira Grace Foundation is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit whose mission is to bring hope, restoration and life to children with cancer in Latin America.
Over the past 30 years, the treatment of children’s cancer has improved dramatically and many forms are considered curable. But this is not the case for 80 percent of the world’s children who live in poverty-stricken countries where cancer is often a death sentence. Keira Grace Foundation focuses on taking proven cancer treatment to developing nations where the most impact can be made, dramatically improving survival.
Keira Grace Foundation is the only family foundation bringing cancer treatment to low- and middle-income countries.
Who We Serve
We work primarily in Latin America where most countries have the medical infrastructure to diagnose cancer in children but most children who are diagnosed with cancer do not have access to programs that can cure them of their cancer.
Our work started in the Dominican Republic in 2005 and have now expanded to include projects in Colombia and Brazil. All of these projects work with local foundations and physicians who directly care of the children and families stricken by cancer.
Modern cancer treatment should be accessible to all children, regardless of where they live. For this reason, Keira Grace Foundation directs its efforts to children diagnosed with cancer in developing countries where survival rates hover near 20 percent. In just a few short years, those rates can be doubled or tripled.
Keira's Story
In the spring of 2003, Drs. Michael and Eileen Lauzardo were faced with an unprecedented life situation. Before their infant daughter Keira, had her first birthday, tragedy struck. Both their son and Keira, were simultaneously diagnosed with two different types of leukemia. Their son survived his cancer but 17-month-old Keira did not. It is this experience that propelled the Lauzardos to form Keira Grace Foundation.
News & Press Releases
National Cancer Institute: Making Transformative Advances against Childhood Cancer: A Conversation with Dr. Doug Hawkins
Doug Hawkins MD, a pediatric oncologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital is the chair of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) discusses how the COG functions and how it is working to improve the care and curing many more children with cancer.
CAR-T Cell Therapy Demonstrates Similar Survival Across Socioeconomic Status in Children With Blood Cancer
Children with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia living in poverty achieved similar outcomes to those from more advantaged households when treated with CAR-T cell therapy, according to a recent study. Previous research has demonstrated children with cancer who live in disadvantaged populations have worse survival outcomes compared to those in wealthier households.
Researchers Map Genomic Landscape of ALL
Dr. Stephen Hunger, Chief of the Division of Oncology, Director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Medical Director of the Keira Grace Foundation is the co-senior author of an important new study that breaks new ground in our understanding of the many subtypes of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). This new study will help us better understand new ways to treat children with leukemia and further improve survival.