barbara lactritz, grannybarb

died 2003

a short obituary

Barbara B. Lackritz (aka GrannyBarb - on the web) spent the 40 years working as an educator and as a speech/language pathologist. She was diagnosed with CLL in 1989 and underwent treatment that included chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. She provided others with information on hematological malignancies and the illnesses associated with them through her work with the Bone Marrow Link, M D Anderson Network, Dana Farber Cancer Institute person to person program, and the Leukemia Society of America's One to One program. She was a member of the Board of Directors of ACOR, the Association of Cancer Online Resources and the CLL Foundation. Barb created an email cancer support lists with over 2,000 people from 36 countries ( www.acor.org/leukemia/clllst.html  ). The CLL list has been providing information and support for those with CLL since November 1997. Barb managed "GrannyBarb and Art's Leukemia Links" ( www.acor.org/leukemia ), a web site which has won awards for its effectiveness in providing research options for all leukemias. She was also a member of the Council of Public Representatives of the National Institutes of Health. She served as a cancer patient advocate and has participated in CLL audiocasts with Health Talk Interactive, these webcasts are available at www.htinet.com

Barb received a master's degree in special education from Columbia University's Teacher's College, and a bachelor's in speech pathology and education from the University of Michigan. She is a former member of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Town and Country, Missouri and of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Barb was named Missouri Woman of Distinction in 1986 and Teacher of the Year for her school in 1997. She is President-Elect of the American Association of University Women - Missouri and has been on the Board of Directors of that organization for the past 15 years. She  retired from education in June, 1999.

Barb was a speech/language pathologist for a suburban St. Louis public school district. When she retired, she had been working in the field for 40 years. She was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1989 and underwent treatment that included chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. Barb wrote the patient centred book "Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families" (O'Reilly and Associates, March 2001). Barb created an e-mail cancer support lists that include 45,500 members from 36 countries. These include all hematological cancer lists, cancer support lists, and some solid tumor lists. ACOR hosts over 130 patient lists serving thousands of patients, caregivers, and health professionals.  Because of her husband's illness, she also follows research advances in Parkinson's disease and heart disease.

Barb was married to Irv and had three children and was a loving and indulgent Granny.