Leclair finds that the relationships forged online over the years have spilled over into her real world. When the administrator of the CLL list went to Boston for a bone marrow transplant, Leclair already knew that her husband liked tapioca pudding. So she showed up at the hospital with a big bowl. We had a wonderful time and met again the next year for dinner when she came back for her one-year appointment. This June there will be a dinner gathering of CLL patients, caregivers, and supporters in Boston.
People are excited to meet after years of sharing an enormous intimacy about their illnesses.
In the future, Leclair hopes there will be dozens of online sites staffed by professionals who answer patients' questions in radiology, nuclear medicine, or other specialties. She explains that in a perfect world, the physicians would have the time and background to thoroughly explain tests and results to patients. However, since this does not always happen, the next best plan is to provide places where people can go to get accurate information. Leclair hopes her method of helping others understand the sometimes-arcane world of clinical laboratory science will catch on. She recently gave a lecture on interpreting laboratory results to an auditorium full of lay people.