Becky Wilson’s extroverted personality borders on irrepressible. The six-year-old Arlington resident is talkative, outgoing and loves to be the center of attention.

So when she underwent treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia 18 months ago, it was especially difficult for her to spend weeks in the hospital, away from school and away from friends.

“There were times she felt isolated and frustrated,” Becky’s mother, Lisa, said. “She couldn’t interact with her friends.”

The cancer quickly went into remission and Becky was able to start first grade at Jamestown Elementary School this fall. But a few weeks ago, she was taken out of school again when a broken arm caused her white blood cell count to drop precipitously.

However, this time she wouldn’t have to be cut off from her friends at Jamestown. Georgetown University Hospital, where Becky is receiving treatment, set up a laptop computer in its Pediatric Oncology department that allows children to connect to their classrooms via the Internet.

The laptop is outfitted with a video camera, as well as the Internet telephone software Skype. The hospitalized students can log on and communicate with their classmates, both verbally and visually.

“This is a turning point in the lives of children with cancer,” Becky’s oncologist at the hospital, Dr. Aziza Shad, said. “Typically, children with cancer are isolated from friends and school. … It’s just not been possible to get them to interact with their friends the way this webcam will.”

GEORGETOWN University Hospital now has six webcam-ready laptops in its Pediatric Oncology department. The computers were purchased with $23,000 in funds raised by the National Capital Area chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Donna McKelvey, the chapter’s executive director, said that the webcams don’t just help the patients. “The classmates get to see that they’re OK,” she said.

“This is a huge deal,” Dr. David Nelson, chairman of the pediatrics department at Georgetown University Hospital, said. “How a child feels about themselves affects their treatment. … Losing contact is a big problem. This enables them to stay connected.”

SPORTING pink shoes, apple-print stockings and a bushy head of hair, Becky dialed into Helaine Ortiz’s first-grade classroom — with some help from the hospital staff.

She took notes as her classmates informed her of what they were learning: literary genres, ancient China, weather disasters. She told them about the books she’s been reading and the playground she’s building for her toy bear.

“Don’t be shy!” Becky told her friends as they began to crowd the camera.

The first graders in Ortiz’s classroom seemed almost as excited as Becky to be able to use this new technology. “You sound better,” one of her classmates said. “Do you know when you can come back?” another asked.

“Not yet,” Becky replied, the only point during the demonstration when her voice betrayed a hint of sadness.

David Schultz can also be heard on WAMU 88.5 FM.