The Life Raft Group is committed to enhancing the survival and quality of life for people living with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST), and other rare diseases, through patient-powered research, education and empowerment, and global advocacy efforts.
Other Programs Supported by The Life Raft Group:
Real World Evidence In Action
Traditional models for cancer research have resulted in many breakthrough treatments for patients, but it is not enough. The LRG’s approach to GIST research through real world evidence, relies on timely, accurate data from the patient’s perspective, with patient survival as the primary objective.
RECENT LRG DATA
Update your Patient Registry Info.
Join The Life Raft Group.
Current GIST Clinical Trials.
Search the GIST Specialist Database.
HELP US SAVE LIVES
The Life Raft Group is a community and it is up to all of us to make a difference. There are many ways to help. We always need patient tissue and data in our GIST patient registry. Volunteering your time or making a monetary donation also helps us drive research forward and save lives.
News
It’s your life, shouldn’t it stay in your hands?
This December, I will have been working with cancer patients for six years at the Life Raft Group. I have held their hands in hospital beds, coached them on how to talk with their doctors, stood by their side at the weddings of friends, walked with them through haunted houses and comforted their loved ones when they had nothing left.
Cards, chips and laughter abound at 7th Annual LRG Poker Tournament
On November 18, the Life Raft Group’s Board President Jerry Cudzil hosted this year’s Seventh Annual Life Raft Group Poker Tournament at [...]
Eighth annual patient summit for CML & GIST held in Austria
Excerpts reprinted with permission from Novartis Pharmaceuticals publication. The 8th annual "International New Horizons Conference for Organizations Representing People with CML or [...]
‘Tis the season for holiday giving
It is the close knit community of GIST patients, families and friends that keeps the Life Raft Group afloat. As the hope [...]
Cancer tattoos mark milestones but know the risks
This informative article about cancer tattoos was written by Belinda Ehrlich From hearts and flowers to skulls and daggers, tattoos grace the bodies [...]
Young GISTers cross country lines to get together
My name is Stacey McAully and for those of you who don't know, I was the first pediatric diagnosis of GISTs [...]
Be prepared when traveling with cancer
Recently, an article by Diane Stresing was published on the popular coping website, CarePages.com, about traveling with cancer. With Life Fest coming up in [...]
LRG Canada’s first webcast a success
Getting the "GIST" of gastrointestinal stromal tumors Written by David Josephy The Life Raft Group has been pioneering the development of GIST online [...]





























