Cancerversary – Paula Vettel 15 YEARS
“I am so fortunate to be celebrating 15 years of continued life, thanks to Gleevec. I have enjoyed life with my wonderful husband Phil, and seen my boys grow into men. I am looking [...]
14th NIH Pediatric and Wildtype GIST Clinic Convenes
If you have a mutation of any of the SDH subunits (a,b,c, or d), the next important question to ask is whether or not it is a germline mutation. (So far, data has indicated that 80% of SDH-deficient tumors are germline). The term "germline" means that the mutation is present in every cell of your body. Germline mutations are hereditary, and can be passed on to your children. For this reason, genetic testing and counseling could be informative for parents, siblings and other family members. If a family member tests positive for the mutation, this does not mean that they will get GIST.
10 Things That Happen When You’re Diagnosed With Cancer
Cancer. We all know someone who has it or we know someone who knows someone who has it. Either way, it’s a subject that is kind of taboo. Firstly, the majority of the population think when they first hear the big C-word is that you’re going to be bald, you only get cancer when you’re old and you probably (hopefully not) will die.
Cancerversary – Ed Cohen 9 YEARS
“My GIST tumor was removed by a skilled surgeon nine years ago this coming Father’s Day, giving me the present of continued life. Shortly after the surgery my wife and I found the Life [...]
Team J’s Ride Across America (RAA) 2016
Members of Team-J's Charity Bicycling Team are planning to bicycle in Ride Across America in support of two causes; Hydrocephalus Awareness - www.hydroassoc.org GIST Pediatric Cancer Awareness - www.liferaftgroup.org Donate Now TEAM-J's local [...]
Rebecca Theresa Harper – Inspiration to Others, Woman of Faith
Rebecca Theresa Harper was born January 24, 1951 in Atchison, KS to Victor Edmond and Pauline Mary (Maday) Kesse and after a long and faith-filled fight with cancer, died March 14, 2016 in Kansas [...]
GIST Collaborative Tissue Bank: A researcher’s perspective
The Life Raft Group GIST Collaborative Tissue Bank consists of a collection of tumor specimens from a large number of patients, stored at Stanford University. The advantages of having a tissue bank for a [...]
All We Need is Love: A collection of messages and images from the heart
Dear LRG Community, Thanks to our: Caregivers, the unsung heroes who care for and give to our patients every day Research team, who tirelessly reach for our mission to find a cure Donors, who [...]
John Poss: Fifteen Years and Still Kickin’
It has been a long journey since that day Melinda and I walked out of my Dallas oncologist’s office in May, 2000 knowing that I had a rare, then untreatable cancer. Now, it has [...]
GIST Support Austria: A Community of Hope
International support for the GIST Patient Community continues to grow. In this article, Amy Bruno-Lindner reports on GIST Support Austria. Since the summer of 2013, GIST patients in Austria have had someone to turn [...]