Uravel Pediatric Cancer
We first learned about Unravel Pediatric Cancer because they formed in much the same way The Gold Hope Project formed; because of a sweet little girl who loves glitter and was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). DIPG is a devastating pediatric brain tumor that is terminal upon diagnosis with a 0% survival rate. Unravel Pediatric Cancer was formed by Libby and Tony, parents to Jennifer Kranz who passed away from her cancer at only six years old. It is Libby and Tony’s mission to “unravel” pediatric cancer by raising awareness and funding much needed research.
Mission
1. Tell us about your organization. What is your mission? Unravel is a nonprofit organization working to spread knowledge about the grim realities of pediatric cancer and the devastating impact from the lack of funding. We supply the information, tools and support to individuals and communities that want to help create change– because good people want to do good things but sometimes they need help getting started. All monies raised by and for Unravel will go directly to the fight against pediatric cancer. In addition, Unravel partners with other nonprofits to strengthen our efforts. We do all of this with one goal in mind; we will unravel pediatric cancer.
2. Why was your organization established? Tell us your why? Jennifer Lynn Kranz (JLK) was a beautiful 6 year old who was born with glitter in her veins. She sparkled from the inside out and brought out the sparkle in everyone she met. Jennifer was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) on her 6th birthday. It is terminal upon diagnosis. Jennifer lived 3.5 months. It was never a fair fight. Jennifer will be part of finding a cure and her family and friends want to do their part, too. Unravel Pediatric Cancer was founded by her parents, Tony & Libby Kranz, for that purpose.
Jennifer Lynn Kranz
Services
3. What are the services you offer to pediatric cancer patients? We fund pediatric cancer research to find better, safer, and more effective treatments for children facing all 12 types of cancer. Our funding model of unrestricted funds and building relationships with the labs we fund make us different. It allows researchers to be nimble and pursue the most promising ideas.Also, we look for labs that are disruptive; meaning trying to find new ways of treating and curing pediatric cancer. Unravel focuses on funding early stage research and innovation instead of clinical trials.
4. What do you wish more people knew about your non profit or the work you are accomplishing? We want more people to know how much the money we raise matters to the researchers we fund. These men and women have huge hearts and are fighting very hard for our children. With minimal federal and and big cancer foundation funding, it is up to smaller organizations like ours to fill those gaps and fund this important work. It matters!
Get Involved
5. How can we get involved in helping you achieve your mission? Individuals and families can get involved with Unravel in many fun ways! You can Flutter with us in September or October, hold a lemonade stand or bake sale, organize a coin drive at your school, spread awareness (we call it “spreading the glitter!”) by sharing the facts with friends and family, attend one of our events like our 5k Family Fun Run or a Mama’s Night Out, or make a donation on our website.
We are so happy to share with you Unravel Pediatric Cancer and the many ways they are serving the childhood cancer community. Be sure to check them out on the web.