GIST Awareness Day (GAD) 2026 brought together patients, caregivers, advocacy groups, researchers, healthcare organizations and industry from around the world. Across social media, people shared personal stories, GIST education, treatment and research updates, and messages about the importance of getting the right diagnosis and finding GIST specialists. A strong theme throughout the day was making sure people affected by GIST know they are not alone.
The Life Raft Group was part of that wider conversation, with our GIST Awareness Day messages and materials reaching beyond our own channels. Other organizations shared the GAD logo, reposted LRG content and joined in using #GISTAwarenessDay. Overall, the day felt less like a single campaign and more like a shared global effort to make GIST more visible, celebrate the people living with it, and keep pushing for better answers and treatments.
We continued our GIST Awareness Day messaging throughout July for Sarcoma Awareness Month, joining thousands of patients, caregivers, advocates, organizations, and medical professions working to raise awareness for sarcomas – rare cancers which affect over 13k new patients each year and has over 70 types of soft tissue sarcoma. That’s 1 percent of all cancers diagnosed each year in the US (according to the NIH.) We also celebrated Wear Yellow Wednesday on July 8th.
Social media posts overwhelmed the popular social media channels. Members of our GIST community came together to encourage others by sharing their stories on our GAD kudoboard which asked GISTer celebrate the moments that matter and share your milestones, victories, and experiences living with GIST.
View the 2026 kudoboard and share your story. Share this board with others to raise awareness for GIST.
You can see the 2025 kudoboard too.
