Family planning can be one of the hardest decisions patients with GIST make, but for Carolina Ponce Williams the decision was easy. At high risk for progression, Carolina longed to start a family. So she decided to adopt.
Pediatric GIST patient Jason DeLorenzo welcomes a baby boy! Jill and Jason welcomed their firstborn son and first child, Simon Joseph. He was born at 6:58am on 3/24/13. 6 lbs. 11oz. 20 inches long. Simon is a wide-eyed, very attentive and curious baby.
My name is Juliana Popova and I’m the chairperson of the Bulgarian support group for people with GIST – “GIST Alliance for Patients-Bulgaria”. Our organization was founded in January 2012. All patients can contact us [...]
Carol Heller will be working with Jeff Bernstein to cover the state of Pennsylvania as local group leaders. She is very excited to help and hold meetings, and will be handling the eastern region of [...]
Jason DeLorenzo, LRG member and pediatric GISTer, got married on November 17, 2012 to Jill Medhus.
Recently, LRG Board Member Dave Safford decided to sit down and think about all of the good fortune that has come into his life since being diagnosed with cancer. We liked his list so much we decided to share it so that everyone in the GIST community can see a story of positivity and hope.
Lon Garber It all began in Africa with a pain in my backside. My wife, Val, jokingly called it payback time since I’d been a pain in her backside for 37 years. The [...]
Mary Marre says her daughter Meghan was diagnosed with GIST in the fall of 2002, just a few weeks before her 21st birthday. All through high school Meghan was anemic; she was also plagued with stomach problems. Each time a doctor would say it was heavy periods, ulcers, heartburn and the like … this to a child who outwardly seemed so healthy.
For Peter Greenwood, a successful freelance illustrator, GIST is a burden and a tool. Like most GIST patients he feels the pressure of scans and occasional hopelessness. But despite all of this, Peter has found ways to use GIST to his advantage, to use it for inspiration by using his illustrations as tools to fight GIST
I traded in uniforms and business attire for comfort clothes. I could no longer keep pace with the meetings and travel commitments of my job. My travel now includes only visits to Dana-Farber and my time away from home is dictated by my energy level, nausea, diarrhea and heartburn. My appointments to get my hair done, a manicure, pedicure and facial have been replaced with appointments with my local oncologist for blood work, ultrasounds, etc., as well as counseling sessions.
