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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