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Dear Listmates:

I plan an upcoming trip to Western New York State via motorcoach stocked
with gluten-free foods, baking mixes, Bette Hagman cookbooks, etc. The
reason for the trip is to visit some relatives who suffer the symptoms
of celiac disease. They are nieces and nephews of my mother (a celiac)
and first cousins of mine (I am also a celiac). They seem to be content
to live with the inconveniences and suffering of this disease. I can't
imagine why!!! I want to educate them and show them the seriousness over
time of letting this disease wreak havoc inside their bodies. My
questions to this list are as follows:

Does anyone know of a gastro-enterologist in or near Buffalo who is
knowledgeable about celiac disease?

Does anyone know of a support group in Western New York, southwest of
Buffalo?

Short of dragging my relatives to a specialist and support group, what
should I present to them that will show them their responsibility toward
their own children and toward their own personal health?

Celiac disease has manifest itself in many of my mother's relatives, and
I am strongly suspicious that this is the culprit of my Western New York
cousins. (One of them has lived with symptoms for over five years.) I
remember being in denial myself, just avoiding breads and pastas, but
not changing my diet in any other way for about two years -- and I
wonder if "denial" is a stage, but it seems that five yeras is too long
of a time to be in denial about something this serious.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

W. Washington

"Gluten free for LIFE!"