April 2012
- Aloha, our dearest friend, Richard Palmer
- Three ways to help find a cure for GIST
- TDM extends BLT deadline: LRG urges GISTers to take advantage
- LRG to make its mark on CTOS
- Eighth Annual LRG Poker Tourney raises over $110K!
- LRG launches mutational & plasma level testing survey project
- Pediatric GISTer will test his mettle in Marine Corps Marathon
- Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances explained
- Dutch GISTers share laughter, tears & hugs
- Sign our petition: Safe medicines save lives!
- Please welcome new Texas rep, Dee Hawkins!
- Join us in welcoming LRG’s new SoCal Representative
- Gangstead was 61
- Alianza GIST & Global GIST Network add new GIST reps
- Argentina GIST org is official!
- Zuber remembered as loving wife, mother & grandmother
- Calendar
- Did you Hear?
- Mutational & Plasma Testing 101
October 2011
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Aloha, our dearest friend, Richard Palmer
by Erin Kristoff
Here in New Jersey, home to the Life Raft Group HQ, we’ve had a strange run of bad luck. First, there was an earthquake, quickly followed by Hurricane Irene.
We boarded our windows, emptied our yards, stocked up on water and ice and prepared for the worst.
I, for one, was not prepared when the worst came, not in the form of property damage, but in the loss of a friend. - Three ways to help find a cure for GIST by Norman Scherzer Many people ask the question “Isn’t it depressing to work with cancer?” While sometimes it is, we have witnessed countless joys and triumphs along the way making it all worthwhile. If my experience at the LRG has taught me anything, it is that we can’t choose how long we want to live, but we can choose how we want to live.
- TDM extends BLT deadline: LRG urges GISTers to take advantage by LRG Staffers 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.
- LRG to make its mark on CTOS by Jerry Call This year’s Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) conference held in Chicago on October 26-29 will not only feature presentations on GIST, but some of those presentations will be given by LRG Researchers and staff members.
- Eighth Annual LRG Poker Tourney raises over $110K! by Christine Schaumburg The Eighth Annual New York City Poker Tournament to benefit GIST research, held on September 22nd at the Midtown Loft and hosted by Board President Jerry Cudzil, was once again a tremendous success thanks to all of our supporters who came out to play for a cure.
- LRG launches mutational & plasma level testing survey project by Pete Knox 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.
- Pediatric GISTer will test his mettle in Marine Corps Marathon by Jason DeLorenzo My name is Jason DeLorenzo and my experience with GIST has given me a new lease on life. I feel like I have a second chance, and that has inspired me to do two things with my life.
- Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances explained by Diana Nieves 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.
- Dutch GISTers share laughter, tears & hugs by Ellen van Arem de Haas It was a foggy autumn Saturday morning, September 24th, 2011, when my husband and I drove to the annual GIST Contact Day. From all parts of our country as well as from Belgium, and countries like Germany and Portugal, Dutch speaking members were on their way to celebrate life with each other.
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Sign our petition: Safe medicines save lives!
Everyone has been touched by cancer. One in three people will be affected by cancer at some stage in their life. The hope is to have access to the best treatment available to conquer the disease. For some, that is not so easy.
- Please welcome new Texas rep, Dee Hawkins! I think it's important to give back and hopefully as a Texas Rep. for GIST I'll be able to help others.
- Join us in welcoming LRG’s new SoCal Representative Shortly after being diagnosed with GIST in 2003, Dina Wiley was referred to the Life Raft Group, where she found essential support and vital information. Once she was put in touch with Floyd Pothoven, LRG’s former representative, she began attending support group meetings that he hosted.
- Gangstead was 61
- Alianza GIST & Global GIST Network add new GIST reps
- Argentina GIST org is official! We are proud to inform you that Asociación GIST Argentina (AGA) is finally an official, legal organization, which allows them to receive funds to run the association.
- Zuber remembered as loving wife, mother & grandmother
- Calendar
- Did you Hear? As reported in our last issue, Dr. Jonathan Trent has left MD Anderson and is now practicing at Sylvester Cancer Center in Miami. Dr. Trent was kind enough to provide us with his new information, which we have listed...
- Mutational & Plasma Testing 101