The Life Raft Group’s first GIST Day of Learning event was a big success. Partnering with Jonathan C. Trent, M.D., PhD and University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center, we were able to provide education and support for over 50 GISTers and caregivers.
The luncheon and meeting were very positive experiences. There was a great deal of interaction and enthusiasm. There were some serious moments but even more moments of shared laughter. The entire group encouraged each other to be positive knowing that the LRG is behind all of us and is dedicated to finding a cure for GIST.
Bayer recently announced the results of its Phase III trial for regorafenib (BAY 73-4506), which is designed for patients with metastatic and/or unresectable GIST that have failed both imatinib and sunitinib.
I was caught up in a whirlwind when I found out that I had cancer on a Monday morning in October of 2011. I was admitted to the hospital that same day in preparation to have emergency surgery the next morning to remove the tumors and then found out I had GIST - all in a 24 hour period! I felt like my world had turned upside down and shortly after that during my recovery, I was lucky enough to find Life Raft.
About 80 GIST patients, relatives, GIST experts, interested professionals, physicians and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry gathered at the Restaurant Au Premier at Zurich Main Station in Zurich on April 8 for the ninth meeting of the Swiss GIST group. A warm welcome was extended to special guests Candy Heberlein, President of the Swiss Foundation for the Promotion of Bone Marrow Transplantation, and Christel Jäger-Freysoldt, chief executive of Das Lebenshaus in Germany.
The Life Raft Group turns Ten Years Old. This image gives us a glimpse at just a few of the favorite memories from over the years!
Trish was recruited by Norman Scherzer to be an Administrative Assistant, just a handful of months following LRG’s incorporation in 2002. Over the years, she graduated from college, held several titles, and wore many ‘hats’. Trish has seen this group expand its reach far beyond the states, spreading our mission into over 50 countries.
Alianza GIST thanks all those who participated in the online seminar in Spanish, “Comprendiendo Los Tumores Del Estroma Gastro Intestinal (GIST) Desde Lo Basico A La Clinica,” presented by Dr. Matías Chacón of the Instituto Alexander Fleming de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Alianza GIST also launched a new social networking community where GIST patients and caregivers can login to the Comunidad de Alianza GIST and chat with each other about relevant topics related to their cancer. There is also functionality where each country organization has a “Group” set up where they can communicate internally with their members. At the moment, this comunidad site is only available in Spanish.
A Life Raft Group meeting with Latin American representatives underscored barriers to the tissue bank program and proper diagnosis of GIST in the region while generating suggestions for ways of improving the system.
