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 Who we areThis site is primarily for GIST patients and their carers. Most of the content is provided by patients, not by doctors or nurses. Please email us with your comments, corrections and additions. Gist Support UK is there to be with you as you come to terms with living with GIST. We are a network of patients and their carers, all of whom are affected by GIST. We share experience and offer each other mutual support by telephone and by email. Currently we also hold two meetings a year, where members have the opportunity to meet together, and also to meet professionals working in the field. You will find reports of the most recent meetings on this website. We have information about GIST and treatment options, chances and risks, and new clinical trials and we offer you the opportunity to share with other patients. All this can help you to find your bearings and to make more informed choices about your treatment. Being an informed patient will lessen the feeling of being at the mercy of this illness and will help you to be more in control of your life again. If you have GIST, and if you can accept and come to terms with the illness, you can continue to lead a ‘normal’ life. Every day, research into GIST is giving us new knowledge, and new treatment options are being explored and trialed. What we doWe run meetings where GIST patients and their carers can support each other, share experiences, and hear about the latest developments in the treatment of GIST from leading professionals. We try to keep abreast of developments in the treatment of GIST by maintaining contact with:
We have a Mailtalk system where members can email the group to ask questions, exchange information and generally discuss their problems. (See Contact us page.) How to meet other GIST patients
How you can help usWe want as many GIST patients as possible to know about us. If you are being treated in a local district hospital, why not ask them to put up a poster? Click here to download an A4-size poster that you can print out. Alternatively why not ask your hospital to display some of our publicity leaflets? Just let us know which hospital, and who the appropriate contact person is. We can then add them to our distribution list and keep them supplied. Click here to see a PDF of our publicity leaflet. Finally why not help us by taking part in a sponsored swim or some similar event? (Or getting someone else to!) Click here to download a sponsorship form that you can use. The work of GIST Support UK is supported by donations from its members together with unrestricted educational grants from Novartis and Pfizer Click here to return to top of page |
Why not wear one of these little ribbons when you visit Out-patients, to show that you are a GIST patient? Maybe you will find another GIST patient to talk to. Just email us and we will send you a ribbon. A £1 donation will cover the cost and also help GIST Support UK.