Cancerversary- April Stephens-Celebrating 17 Years!
On December 7th, I will celebrate my 17th cancerversary. I was just 22 years old and newly married when I was diagnosed with GIST following surgery.
A Message from GISTer Bella Rocco
About Bella At just seven years old, Bella Rocco was undergoing surgery after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer—pediatric GIST. While GIST is considered a rare cancer, pediatric cases are even [...]
GIST Keep Swimming: Words to Live By
Life with cancer is like tossing all your dreams, goals and achievements into a bag, shaking it up and dumping it onto the floor to be stomped upon. Some say I was lucky to get my diagnosis at age 16, before I had a career or a family to support.
Our “Silent Song”
My husband Brian, and I have been married 33 years and have worked together in an 8 x 10 room. Brian has literally been by my side since marriage. When I was diagnosed with Wildtype GIST, we knew this was a journey we’d be taking on together.
Faces of GIST – Bella Rocco
What is your name? Bella Rocco How long have you been living with GIST? Since I was seven years old. I am twelve now.
Liz Skree at the NIH Pediatric & Wild-type GIST Clinic
Liz Skree at the NIH Pediatric & Wild-type GIST Clinic
Josalin Dunn at the NIH Pediatric and Wild-type GIST Clinic
Josalin Dunn at the NIH Pediatric & Wild-type GIST Clinic
Member Story – April Calloway Stephens
April was always comfortable with her decision to start a family but she understood the gravity of her actions and what that might mean to other patients. “I think stopping Gleevec to start a family is something that each patient would have to consider closely with their doctor. I was fortunate enough to be “No Evidence of Disease” since my surgery in 2000, so my family, doctor and I were comfortable stopping it.
Josalin Dunn Shares Her Advice About Coping with Cancer
Josalin Dunn is not your average 8-year-old girl. It’s not because she comes from a family of seven children. It is not because she has cancer. It is because she has remained bright-eyed and optimistic — despite the twists and turns she has had to endure during her young life in Fort Meyers, Fla.
Member Story – Sile Bao
GIST — Gastrointestinal stromal tumor. To doctors, this is a rare tumor that is usually found in the stomach. To me, a 15-year-old girl, it is something that has changed my life in so many ways. Growing up, I was always a healthy girl. I never got the flu or even a cold. Whenever I even fell and scratched my knee, I would get right back up and put a Band-Aid on it.