When I was first diagnosed with GCS there was hardly and info around apart from a few depressing sentences on the cancer support sites in the U.K. where I live. After finding a Facebook support group we were privileged to welcome Dede Redington as a fellow sufferer. Dede was such a fighter and got the research group GCS project on the road. Although we lost Dede a while ago I shall always be grateful to her for giving hope to all of us in the group and knowing that someone out there is carrying on the fight. Thank you all.
The GCS Project provided both myself and my mum with hope and support when we needed it the most and helped facilitate my mums remote second opinion. I couldn't speak more highly of this charity and would love to be more involved.
GCS1 11/05/2018
We welcome your interest and invite you to be involved in The GCS Project. Please email us through the website contact page at http://gcsproject.org/contact/ or message us through our Facebook page. Thank you for posting your positive comments.
The GCS Project has raised money and helped pioneer research for a rare cancer which had received very little attention previously. The GCS Project website is a very helpful resource for those fighting GCS.
GCS1 11/05/2018
Thank you for sharing such a positive post on Great NonProfts. We appreciate your support.
This is the only nonprofit for this cancer! For those who are afraid and dont know where to start, the gcs project is invaluable
GCS1 11/05/2018
We appreciate the time you took to express your encouraging experience with The GCS Project. Thank you for your support.
My wife has been fighting Stage 4 Uterine Carcinosarcoma for seven years. I discovered the GCS project over a year ago, and was struck by the dedication and passion of the organization to this rare and aggressive cancer. I have been able to find information easily regarding next steps--and the members have quickly reached out to me personally to make sure that I had support and guidance. I was able to find Dr. Michael Birrer and Dr. Rebecca Arend through the organization - and my wife was able to undertake a clinical trial under their care. I regularly scan the site to see what new research has been done--and will continue to rely on them for the best information available for GCS.
GCS1 11/05/2018
We are so sorry to hear of your wife’s diagnosis and are here to support both of you. Please continue to reach out to us. We are grateful that The GCS Project has been helpful in connecting you with the best available resources.
Let me begin by describing the very special lady who statred the GCS Project.
Diane Redington was a woman with many qualities: a wife, mother, sister, friend, advocate, CRNP, researcher, to mention just a few. Diane was diagnosed with Carcinosarcoma on April 16, 2015, she was not able to have surgery or chemo. This did not stop Diane, she took it upon herself to research every avenue for a cure for this rare form of cancer.. Diane along with family and friends began the GCS project by raising funds to begin research for a cure. The project raised over $250,000.00, as of March 2017.
Diane never gave up the fight for finding a cure. Unfortunately,she lost her battle with ovarian carcinsarcoma and passed away March 15, 2018.
Her family and friends have continued raising funds in Diane's honor to help find a cure for those stricken by this rare cancer. 100% of donations are given to the GCS project for continued research.
Please donate to this great foundation to help further the research needed for a cure.
Thank you!!!!
I am involved with the GCS Project because of my wonderful sister-in-law Diane's battle against the disease. Through this organization we have met other women that have been diagnosed with the disease and have turned to the GCS Project for information and hope. Diane's goals to fund research, and better serve GCS patients by developing Centers of Excellence throughout the country are still the mission of the GCS Project. All funds raised go directly to this mission. No money is used for administrative costs. All those on the board and volunteers give of their time and efforts as a tribute to a beautiful, strong, inspiring woman. Please help us wipe out this horrific disease. Thanks for your support!
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I currently work as a volunteer for the GCS Project to honor my sister-in-law Diane Redington who founded the project. One of my responsibilities was to film educational videos for the website. Several physicians volunteered to be filmed to share their knowledge of the disease and their responsibilities as part of the newly developed research team. They discussed their frustrations with the lack of research previously being done due to funding issues and their absolute resolve to discover a cure for carcinosarcoma and all ovarian cancers. It was an awe-inspiring experience to hear of the work being done and to witness the dedication of the physicians and researchers that now make up the GCS Project. This is one of the most insidious forms of cancer that prior to this project was simply a death sentence for the unfortunate women who fell victim to this predator. The GCS project has given hope and valuable information to these women and in many instances longevity of life. Finding a cure for cancer is one of the most prominent issues of our times. This is the most valuable volunteer efforts I’ve ever been associated with, not just because it's close to my heart because of my love for my sister-in-law, but because I truly feel that this team has the passion, intelligence, and determination to find an answer and a cure. This is history in the making.
I have known Diane Redington my entire life. My aunt died four years ago from a rare aggressive cancer, and I wish there had been the research and advocacy that GCS supports for her cancer. Diane was truly a leader in the cancer community and her legacy continues with this foundation.
I always worry about donating money to charities because you never quite know where the money is going. Luckily, that's not at all the case with GCS. I'm floored by the amount of money that has gone directly towards research for an incredibly under-researched disease. Those who have been personally impacted or know someone who has suffered are fortunate to have such a fantastic group of educated health professionals working towards supporting this cause.
Our neighbor, Diane, was an amazing woman that was diagnosed with this horrible disease. She put all her efforts into this research program so someday women would be able to survive after their diagnosis. Let's follow her dream and continue to donate to this cancer research project. 100% of the donations go toward research and not salaries, etc!
I have been involved with this charity since the beginning in 2015. The family covers 100% of the operating expenses of the GCSproject website and the project activities are completely managed by the volunteer board members. And thus there are no salaries or administrative expenses associated with this charity and so 100% of any and all outside donations are targeted to funding specific research into MMMT / GSC cancers. The initial fundraising accumulated $300,000 which was used to support dedicated research at Mass General Hospital into this devastating cancer. Fundraising continues to support additional research.
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When my wife first learned that she was stricken with this rare cancer two years ago - she had a day of morning - but true to form promptly went to work to find the very best treatment that was available. She learned everything she could about the disease and options eventually landing at Mass General under the care of world renowned Dr Bierer. Diane was most interested in any cutting edge research and perhaps clinical trials that could help her and other women. Finding there was scant general information for laypersons she started a web site GCSproject.org to create a platform for women and their families to share information and their personal stories. When Dr B informed her that there was no real research into this particular cancer because it was so rare - she set up a special tax free research fund at Mass General to fund such research. Any and all donations to the GCSproject research fund go 100% to fund research - no dollars are used for administration as that administration is handled by Diane, our family and friends. A phenomenal act of love and support and generosity and dedication from all involved has now led to the beginning of tumor specimen research at Mass General with the hope that specific new and fruitful treatment options will be discovered helping thousands of current and future women.
As above - rare cancers and diseases receive very little government or pharmaceutical research support so Diane, family and friends took the proverbial bull by the horns to make that research possible. A very unique charity.
I ways recently diagnosed with Carcinosarcoma. This charity is a beacon of hope.
GCS1 11/05/2018
Dear Hope, We are grateful that you find that The GCS Project is a beacon of hope. We are here to support your battle together as you fight this rare disease.
I had never heard of Gynecological Carcinosarcoma until my friend, Diane, was diagnosed with it. She has done all the leg work to get this research started on a disease that you, I or one of our female friends or family members could be diagnosed with tomorrow. With my and your donations, we can make a difference and hopefully a cure. With the end of the year and tax season around the corner, now is a great time to donate. Please make a tax deductible donation now, no matter how big or small. Thank you in advance & may your holiday and New Year be filled with only health and happiness!!
This organization represents a rare chance to contribute to something unique because it truly targets a gap in the research landscape, the money goes entirely to the science, and it supports a female cohort essential to the fabric of our society but sometime undervalued. I give because of I love these women and how they have and continue to shape my life. Donations reverberate on a personal level, not absorbed in a vast pool of anonymous donations. Each donation has a name and that name gets a hand written card of genuine thanks. And no where else has such a small determined team harnessed the power of such mighty institutions as Mass. General, Harvard, and the Broad Institute. It is a nascent and novel movement we must fuel toward treatments and a cure. It is highly likely the findings from this research will benefit other cancers as well. It will be life changing to so many. A terrific and unique way to make an impact to our world.
I feel this is one of the best cancer funds out there. 100 percent of my money goes to cancer research at one of the top research centers in the world. It is the only center in the world doing research on carcinosarcoma a very rare ovarian/uterine cancer. Their research is cutting edge with implications for treatment in other types of cancer too. This research is extremely important to me as I have a family member currently being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital and is receiving life saving care which she could not of gotten anywhere else. Their work is extremely important for those women with rare female cancers.
I was very happy to have become a donor to the GCS Project and make a small effort to assist the Project to achieve its important goals. The Project focuses upon ovarian and uterine carcinosarcoma or (GCS) which is a very rare form of cancer. About two years or so ago, my friend (and former student) Diane Redington learned that she had contracted GCS. She didn’t take this news as one might expect by just resigning herself to her situation, but instead put her heart and soul into fighting GCS for herself and other women who have or will have this disease. Her strong will is an excellent example of what one can do even in the face of such adversity and the GCS Project serves as evidence of her fighting spirit. The Project has found allies all over the country, designed and developed an informative website and done fundraising that will support research and clinical studies that have not been undertaken in the past for those with GCS. Also, a major fundraising event in Nashville in April has been coordinated and Diane has teamed with researchers and clinicians at Mass General Hospital, Dr. Michael Bierer in particular, creating a united front against GCS. As a donor I am proud to be associated with Diane. As I told her, she has become an excellent teacher by being a life example for all of us who know her.
I've known Diane Redington for 40 years and she is the most hard working, generous and selfless person that I know. And she's a fixer of problems! So it's no surprise to any of her friends and family that when she was diagnosed with GYN carcinosarcoma almost 2 years ago, instead of shutting down, she hit the ground running, partnered with the great team of doctors and researchers at Mass General Hospital, and set out to raise awareness and find a cure. The GCS Project was born! This nonprofit is so unique in that EVERY PENNY RAISED goes to support research. Unfortunately, this isn't true for most of the more well known cancer research centers. The GCS Project has also established a website dedicated to provide information and to give hope to the many women and their families who receive this diagnosis and don't know where to turn. It's a privilege to volunteer with such a passionate and committed team!
Although I have been an active volunteer for several nonprofit organizations over the years, I have never had the honor of participating in a grass-roots effort for a family member who has decided to fight her rare, terminal cancer prognosis with all her resources. Diane is an untiring inspiration to women and their families who are facing gynecologic carcinosarcoma. As a writer/editor, my goal is to support Diane's personal quest to fund state-of-the-art research at Massachusetts General with a world-class team of physicians who are relentless in their passion to solve the mystery of GCS and related gynecologic cancers. Thank you for helping us raise the funds required to sustain research for a cure.
This project is near and dear to my heart. Almost two years ago my sister Diane was diagnosed with this devastating disease. With the diagnosis she discovered no treatments or research specific to her disease. Since that revelation Diane has dedicated her all to the GCS Project. The project is a place for women and their families to find support and information. Diane and her amazing group of volunteers network and fundraise for donations to make this project successful. ALL DONATIONS GO TO RESEARCH. This project is her vision to find a cure for this dreadful disease. I am so honored to be apart of this very important project.
The GCS Project is very near and dear to my heart. My sister is a problem solver, and being diagnosed with gyn-carcinosarcoma almost two years ago is a problem that needs to be solved. Through the GCS Project, she has been able to share the latest research and provide hope for other women who suffer with this very rare cancer. My sister is speaking to women all over the country offering help and hope. Dr. Micheal Birrer and his brilliant team at Mass General Hospital are making tremendous strides in their groundbreaking research. We have been able to raise over $200,000.00 towards this research. The Project is run by volunteers and 100% of every donation goes directly to research.
GCS/MMMT is a very rare form of ovarian /uterine cancer. There is very little information on the web and no research being done. The GCS Project was started about 16 months ago with the purpose of being a resource for women and families dealing with this monster.My sister was diagnosed with GCS/MMMT about 20 months ago. She started this project. One of the amazing thing about this project is the research it is funding. Research is being funded 100% by donations. All donations go to the GCS Project at Mass General. EVERY DIME GOES TO RESEARCH. All the fundraising is done by volunteers. The research team at Mass General is made up of a group of unbelievably gifted individuals dedicated to find a cure. The research team is headed by Dr. Michael Birrer. The research is under way, and they are identifying thing that will be used in treatments of other GYN cancers. This is absolutely unbelievable. We have raised over $200,000 so far. Our goal for this year is $300,000. Please help us reach our goal!
GCS1 11/05/2018
Thank you so much for sharing your kind words about our GCS founder, Diane Redington, and for caring enough to post your encouraging comments. We are here for you as you battle this insidious disease.