About Us
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.
Leadership
Michael Lauzardo, MD MSc
President and Co-Founder
Dr, Michael Lauzardo is a physician trained in pulmonary medicine and public health. He is on faculty in the University of Florida College of Medicine. He has been involved in Global Health for the last 20 years.
Eileen Lauzardo, MD
Vice President/Treasurer and Co-Founder
Dr. Eileen Lauzardo is a physician trained in Family Medicine. She works at the UF Student Health Care Center. She is an expert in adolescent and child health.
Stephen Hunger, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Stephen Hunger is a world-renowned expert in childhood cancer and a world leader in the care of children with leukemia. He is the Chair of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the world’s best Children’s Hospitals. He has been with the Keira Grace Foundation since its inception.