Thanks for the comments. I am making an effort to weigh every word, as it is so important that newcomers quickly learn that thalassemia is manageable. Few sites think about the initial reaction someone will have to what they read, and even today I still find sites that say majors die, without qualifying that statement.
I have already thought about the possibility of linking to another site for a more in depth description, but realized there were several problems with that. If someone finds us we do hope they will also find the help we have to offer and by immediately directing them somewhere else, we may never get the chance to help them. Also, we have no control over the content of other sites and I hope we can be unique by presenting information in a way that will be both informative and accessible, while maintaining the friendly, welcoming nature of this site.
As was pointed out by Canadian Family and also Danielle in a PM, the way it is worded has great value and I am taking a great deal of time working on the wording so that it is easily understood and also always gives a positive message. We may have only a few seconds to impress someone who comes across our site that this is what they are looking for, so I hope my familiarity with marketing can help us market our group to newcomers. We already know this is the best site around and that our members are real people and not generated by a computer module, so let's make sure we make a good impression on those searching for help.
I will be making an attempt to explain the different types and classifications of thalassemia in language that people can understand and at all times I will be stressing the absolute importance of education and awareness. The words of those who have discovered their child is thalassemic have made a powerful impact on me over the years and the necessity of doing all we can to educate people so they can make informed decisions about having children, is paramount. I don't want to say the old adage about "if we can only help one person, we have done our job" since we have already helped so many people. I will not be satisfied with helping only one. When every single person who needs help can find it, then we can say we have done our job.