Twelve year GIST survivor and former harness driver, Bobby Kinsey, had two goals when he started planning “Harness a Cure” – to raise awareness about GIST and raise money to cure this disease. With over one hundred participants in the walk and donations continuing to arrive, Dover Down’s first Harness a Cure event to benefit the Life Raft Group’s research was a huge success thanks to Bobby who tells his fellow raftmates in the email community, “Keep Rowing.”
The main functions of the gastrointestinal tract are to secrete digestive juices, break down food components, absorb nutrients, reclaim water and excrete waste, which are performed by the mucosal lining of the gut...
In addition to sharing hope and friendship, attendees will learn important facts about their cancer, prevailing treatment options, tests as indicators for treatment surveillance, and coping with dietary changes and side-effects of treatment.
Jeroen Pit, who passed away on February 6, was not a man to sit idly by and he certainly did not lose his battle with GIST without a terrible fight. After diagnosis, Jeroen and his devoted wife Emilie, immediately sought after cutting-edge GIST research and came across the Life Raft Group.
Twelve years ago, Life Rafter Bobby Kinsey began his own battle against GIST. Since then, he has helped countless people with GIST across the world. Most of you know Bobby as an LRG member who posts advice and words of encouragement in our email community. Now, Bobby has decided that he wants to do more to help fight this cancer.
GIST has had a profound impact on my life even though I am not a patient myself. My father, Mark Becker, bravely fought his battle with GIST for 12 years before he died in 2009. Research and clinical trials are the two things that kept my dad alive long enough to see both of his daughters graduate high school and college, get married and have children.
The Life Raft Group wishes to thank all of our members who participated in this year’s Holiday Campaign. Though it is still underway (look for final results in the next newsletter), this important campaign has raised over $47,000 to support our patient education & support, advocacy, and research to find a cure GIST.
The Life Raft Group is launching a new program called GIST Day of Learning. In response to the requests of previous attendees of our biennial meeting, Life Fest, for more opportunities like this, we have created [...]
A new phase I/II clinical trial will soon be opening for pediatric and young adults with GIST. This trial will be testing Sutent (sunitinib), the currently approved second-line treatment for GIST, in young patients. At the current time, the optimal dose for Sutent is not known for pediatric patients. This trial will help assess the safety and tolerability of Sutent in young patients.
An intimate group of GIST patients and supporters living in the area gathered to reconnect with and meet other GISTers and exchange each other’s experiences as well as the various technological and medical advancements and options available to them.
