<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

    Thanks to one and all who responed to my "many questions" in a recent
posting (there were over a hundred of you).  Many of you wrote to tell me
that even though my daughter Taylor had no symptoms when ingesting hidden
gluten, I should keep her on the diet for life  because of the damage being
done to her small intestine each time she eats even a little bit.  I agree
100%.  Taylor spent 2 weeks on the children's cancer ward when they were
trying to diagnose her.  They placed her there because she was so sick and
weak they did not want to put her on the regular pediatric ward around the
"sick" kids that had things she could catch.  Well I know that cancer is not
contagious but it sure is a horrible thing.  That is one of the main reasons
we have never agreed to the challenge, because we know that there must be
damage done to her intestine before that third biopsy can be completed. And
who knows what that damage can lead too....stomach cancer, colon cancer,
other autoimmune problem, etc.

    EVERYONE who wrote told me that the reason I have read about so many
people here with such a variety of other problems is because they lived a
lifetime in pain before they found out about CD. By that time they also had
a lifetime of damage to their intestine.

    Finally, to all of you out there who wanted to know if there were many
other celiacs out there without a large list of other health problems.  The
answer is YES....more than you can ever imagine.   That alone was what I
wanted to know and I am very happy with the results.  Now that my husband
and I know that there are so many of you out there with no other health
problems, we have been reassured that Taylor does not need a challenge.
It's funny, but for 10 years we never thought about the challenge. Then we
started reading the postings on this list and we got very confused.
Thankfully we got such support from everyone out there we will definitely
not allow her to be challenged at this time.

                Thanks again to all of you,
                            Lori & Taylor