Wildtype GISTs are tumors that have a protein called “KIT” on their surface but do not have mutations in KIT or PDGFR like regular GIST tumors do. Wildtype GISTs are not treated with imatinib or sunitinib very often because these drugs are most active on tumors with KIT or PDGFR mutations.Most children and younger adults with GIST have the wild-type.

David Josephy is the President of Life Raft Group Canada, a member of the LRG Science Team, and the brother-inlaw of GIST patient Elsie Hernandez. David is a biochemistry professor at the University of Guelph, in Ontario. Since September, he has been on sabbatical leave, working as a researcher in the lab of Dr. Jonathan Fletcher, a renowned GIST researcher and leader of the Life Raft Group Research Team. We asked David to tell us about his experiences working at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

In our last newsletter, we briefly explained Medicare, in particular Part D and the “Donut Hole”. This article will cover other resources available to you to cover your prescription drugs when Medicare Part D just isn’t enough or if you do not qualify for Medicare for other than financial reasons.

The Valentine’s Day Piano Concert with Anthony Padilla, cosponsored by the Life Raft Group and Columbia Basin College was a tremendous success with 140 guests enjoying a romantic evening of music.

A .I.G.’s (Associazione Italiana GIST) fourth national meeting was held at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (INT) in Milan on February 26, 2011. The focus of the meeting was, “What is GIST and How to Treat It.”

Born in Marion, NC, she was a daughter of the late Weldon and Pearl Bowman. She was a devoted mother and grandmother, and a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

The Life Raft Group is always on the lookout for anything that may be helpful for people dealing with cancer. When we see that other organizations are providing services that may help the GIST community, we like to share that information for everyone's benefit.