GIST News A Wave of Information By the LIFE RAFT GROUP

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October 2010

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  • D Day expedites GIST research: The story of one Dutch GISTer by Erin Kristoff

    “Why are we so passive?” Jeroen Pit asks, “If everyone sits still, not much is going to happen.”
    A successful Dutch businessman, Jeroen has never been a passive man. When he was diagnosed with GIST in May 2006, he made his GIST decisions much like he would make business decisions— methodically and with clear purpose.

  • Project D Day: our greatest hope for a cure by Norman Scherzer Recent decreases in the costs of genotyping combined with the largest privately- funded GIST research initiative in history has given us the best opportunity to date to find a cure for GIST.
  • Breaking GIST News: Novartis suspends plasma testing support We have recently been advised that Novartis Pharmaceuticals will suspend its financial support of plasma level testing after receiving a letter from the FDA ...
  • Norman & Anita meet with Dutch GISTers in Amsterdam The following excerpt has been reprinted from an article in the Contactgroep GIST newsletter,“Van GISTeren naar morgen” with permission.
  • Antioxidants: useful supplements or should we refrain? by Omer Mercier Under different forms, antioxidants are in wide use among health-conscious people and even more so among cancer patients. They take the form of such dietary supplements as Vitamin C, E and A, beta-carotene, lycopene, selenium, ginger (Zingiber officinale), cucurmin (turmeric), or pomegranate juice.
  • Vettel reports on ASCO 2010 updates by Paula Vettel

    Developments from the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncologists conference.

  • Three girls are going to skydive for GIST! by Stacey McAully My name is Stacey and most of you will have seen us in the April edition of the newsletter. I have always known I have wanted to do something to raise money that can go into research for finding a GIST cure, but there have always been hospital appointments or surgery and recovery getting in the way...
  • Varmus sworn in as NCI's 14th director

    ...In his opening remarks to a town hall meeting that reintroduced Varmus to the NIH community, NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., called him “the best person on the planet to take the reins of the National Cancer Institute at this propitious moment.”

  • Cancer tattoos mark milestones but know the risks by Belinda Ehrlich From hearts and flowers to skulls and daggers, tattoos grace the bodies of millions of people across the globe whether they are rock stars or neighborhood housewives.
  • 'Tis the season for holiday giving by Toni Bodrato It is the close knit community of GIST patients, families and friends that keeps the Life Raft Group afloat. As the hope of GIST patients and families continues to float in the arms of the Life Raft Group, we are thrilled to have you aboard our raft in the fight against GIST.
  • Eighth annual patient summit for CML & GIST held in Austria The 8th annual "International New Horizons Conference for Organizations Representing People with CML or GIST" was held this year in Vösendorf, Austria, from June 18 to 20, 2010. Sponsored by Novartis, the conference provided patient advocate leaders with an opportunity for 3 days of learning, companionship and the chance to share experiences across national boundaries.
  • LRG welcomes David Safford to board of directors David Safford became a member of the GIST family on January 21, 2010. After receiving an initial diagnosis that gave little room for hope due to the extensive nature of his metastatic cancer, pathology reports later confirmed kit+ GIST and a new mission was formed.
  • Arluck passes away surrounded by family Matthew Allen Arluck, of Chicago, passed away at his parents’ home surrounded by his immediate family on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. He was 39 years old.
  • A life well spent, Offen passes at 72 Henry William Offen came into this world as Heinrich Wilhelm Albert Offen in Uelzen, Germany, on April 28, 1937. He left his frail body at his Carpinteria home surrounded by his family, pets and garden on Sunday, April 25, just three days before his 73rd birthday.
  • The Seventh Annual LRG Poker Tournament!
  • Prosecutor, Dean, husband and friend, Robinson was respected by all James K. Robinson, a high-level official in the U.S. Justice Department during both the Clinton Administration and the Carter Administration, a member of President Obama’s transition team, and an appointee of Chief Justice Rehnquist to a Committee of the United States Judicial Conference, passed away on Friday after a battle with gastrointestinal cancer
  • Beloved woman, missed by all Eleanor Marie Lewis was born November 29, 1934 in Independence, Missouri. She died on Wednesday September 22, 2010 in Arizona. Her courage and determination serve as an example for her family and friends of tireless perseverance during her many years of living with cancer of several types.
  • The 10 Year Anniversary of GIST treatment video is now available on the LRG website! Created for and first shown at Life Fest 2010’s gala dinner, GIST 2010: A Decade of Difference, this video chronicles the last ten years of GIST treatment through the eyes of the doctors and patients who have lived it.
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