<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Is it just me, or are others finding other celiacs in the oddest places. Just had to share my tale of how I came across three new celiacs in the last 4 days all thru one of my well informed non celiac friends. Scenario 1: Laura's friend calls to say hi and mentions how he has been very ill and has just finally received a diagnosis but is still feeling sick in the gut. She mentions that maybe he should ask his Doctor to test him for Celiac Disease and she hears dead silence on the other end of the phone and then "That's what I have and what do you know about Celiac Disease?" Scenario 2- I join Laura down at her shore house this weekend and as I am showering, she quietly asks one of the house mates who is in charge of the bbq if he wouldn't mind cleaning off a portion of the grill as her friend has severe food allergies and can't eat off the spot where barbeque sauce had just been, he looks at her with a strange look and says what kind of allergies. "She's a celiac and can't have something called gluten" He looks amazed and says, "Laura, that's funny, I'm Celiac too- diagnosed 8 years ago" Scenarion 3- I arrive at the table and get into a full discussion of CD with my new celiac buddy and a visitor to the house sits down and says excuse me for intruding, but I have a question. "My sister in law doesn't have celiac disease but she has something called severe gluten-intolerance and they sometimes call it Sprue, would you mind if I ask you some questions for her?" Is that weird or what? Moral of the story- don't keep CD a secret- spread the word, inform those around you, tell them about this list and the support groups and vendors that are available to us. I can't tell you the relief on these faces when they realize they are not alone. I think it's coming closer to a time where CD may be the "in disease", not that I wish it on anyone, but gosh how many people can be saved a great deal of suffereing and isolation! Leslie-NYC