Obituary of Elizabeth Friedman Leblanc

Dr. Elizabeth Friedman Leblanc Pittsford: April 30, 2010, at age 43. Survived by her loving husband, Alain; cherished boys, Samuel and Adam; parents, Harold & Frances Friedman; brother, Theodore (Mahtab) Friedman; sister, Katherine (Douglas) Yoder; 2 nieces & 2 nephews; and many dear friends. The family wishes to thank the staff of Highland Hospital for their care and support. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 1 PM in the All Seasons Chapel of White Haven Memorial Park, 210 Marsh Road. Click here for directions. Following the funeral, the family will receive friends from 3-6 PM at 39 Wood Hill Road in Pittsford. Click here for directions to the house of mourning. Donations may be made to Gilda's Club Rochester New York 255 Alexander Street Rochester, New York 14607 Link to Gilda's Club in her memory. Click here to read Beth's Blog (Dr. BIF's World) during her illness. The Obituary from the Sunday, May 9, 2010 edition of the Democrat & Chronicle: Dr. Elizabeth Friedman Leblanc dies at 43 Patti Singer • Staff writer • May 9, 2010 Dr. Elizabeth Friedman Leblanc loved to garden. Then again, she treated people with allergies more than she suffered from them. "Ragweed is bad, but the rest is pretty good," her husband, Alain Leblanc, said with a laugh. After her family bought their Pittsford home, Dr. Friedman took over the yard and spent time putting in flowers and trying to get vegetables started. "Everything plant-related, she loved," he said. Dr. Friedman, of the Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology Division of Rochester General Medical Group, died April 30 of complications from ovarian cancer. She was 43. Dr. Friedman grew up in New Hampshire and in a way, went into the family business. She received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, where her parents, both allergists, were on the faculty. They retired in 2002. Dr. Friedman joined the Rochester General Medical and Dental Staff in 2002 and practiced in Rochester and in Greece. Leblanc said that patients' lives — not just their symptoms — were very important to his wife. "She was really taking time to talk to her patients. Almost every patient started talking about their interests. She really wanted to understand where patients were coming from and what was bothering them." Dr. Friedman managed her illness and her practice. Dr. Douglas Jones, division director of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, said that she would schedule her own appointments later in the day so that she could see her patients. She would take a day off for chemotherapy and be back with her patients the next day. When she was unable to continue working over the last few months, patients would ask about her. "Everyone was supportive of Beth's desire to beat this and eventually come out on the other side of this," he said. "She enjoyed her patients, enjoyed her practice, enjoyed her field," Jones said. She also enjoyed family time and her home, her husband said. She loved to cook, and she oversaw remodeling of the kitchen. "That was her point of pride." She also loved planning how the rest of the house would look "I had the right of veto, that was about it," he said. In addition to her husband, Dr. Friedman is survived by sons Samuel and Adam; parents Harold and Frances Friedman; brother, Theodore (Mahtab) Friedman; sister, Katherine (Douglas) Yoder; two nieces and two nephews and many friends. To leave an email message of condolence please click on "ADD MEMORIAL" below. Home Pittsford, New York Birthplace Grosse Pointe, Michigan