On November 3, 2011, the twelfth Edi film prize for the best advertising, industrial and corporate films was awarded in the Schiffbauhalle in Zurich. Our film, “Life with GIST” won a Silver Edi in the “Corporate: Internal Communication & Training” section.
The Bill Buchanan Life Raft GIST Support Group held its first meeting on Saturday, October 22 at the John Stroger Hospital of Cook County located in Chicago. This program was mentored by the LRG and made possible by the wishes of the late Bill Buchanan.
We would like to thank all New Jersey GISTers who joined us on November 12 for the NJ Chapter meeting at the Life Raft Group office. Special gratitude goes out to Dr. William Tap (second from [...]
One of the highlights of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference was the session “Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Multimodal Approach.” George Demetri M.D. began the discussion with a review of the history and biology of GIST. Dr. Demetri reviewed the current status of GIST and brought up some new challenges ahead.
I think it's important to give back and hopefully as a Texas Rep. for GIST I'll be able to help others. When I was first diagnosed with GIST, it was the most stressful period in [...]
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) pays disability benefits to people who cannot work because they have a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. Federal law requires this very strict definition of disability. While some programs give money to people with partial disability or short-term disability, Social Security does not.
One of those things is to run a marathon. At the Battle of Marathon, the legend of the runner Pheidippides was born, as his running from Marathon to Athens declaring "We are victorious" and dying of exhaustion immediately. It was hailed as the farthest a man could run before he died.
Recently, the Life Raft Group began work on a survey project sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals designed to assess knowledge and practices among patients and physicians regarding mutational analysis and plasma level testing.
Many of us have been lucky enough to have reached a plateau of successful treatment, and in reaching this level, we may have become complacent about our care; but it is important to be proactive to ensure that we are receiving proper treatment.
From June 15 through June 17, 2011, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted the seventh annual Pediatric and wildtype GIST Clinic. Ten patients from across the United States and Canada attended, accompanied by family members or friends. In total, 80 patients have participated in the NIH Pediatric GIST Clinic, 75 of whom have wildtype GIST. Thirty-five percent of patients have pediatric GIST, currently defined as diagnosis before the age of 19.
