I think this topic is very interesting. I actually started a topic in thalassemia intermedia(because there's no HBH forum) but because what I type was too long and I lost half of the content when I want to correct something so I have to go back there and rep-do it on a word document.
I have never thought that I would be a thal until I was pregnant with my son and battering with series of test and even received "extra" nutrition which I'm not supposed to receive... yes, iron supplement which result to my poor health now. I'm not sure whether it do contributed to the factor but when I see back my blood test, those I took before I had transfusion, I think I made a better test result in my LFT, etc test compared to post transfusion with all the excess iron in my body.
I made a post earlier in the thalpal facebook page but my mum who saw it called me(yes, I added my mum to my fb friends) and said I should not post it in the fb page because I'm telling the whole world our "family problem". Yes, being a thal is a family problem but we don' thave Aids or other diseases spreadable by just talking or touching us. To the extend of this society, sometimes ignorance paid its own price. Is there a phrase being not knowing is better than knowing? Being a thal means you can't find a life partner because you have a DISEASE? I told her many times, she has to tell my brother about thal before he gets married, guess what? She didn't and she said, what to do, they are already married!! Hopefully my brother is fine but he doesn't look as sickly as I do when we are younger, he can cycle 10km for fun and donated blood while I can't.
Another main obstacle I face in life is my mother-in-law. When I was pregnant, no amount of iron supplement and by food can make any changes on my HB. She starts telling me, even now, when she first saw me she thinks I have a problem. I'm always pale. So does that mean if you know that I am a thal, you would not let your children befriend a thal and get married? Unti whatever happens l now, I find it hard to tell her anytime I feel sick I just bear with it as a non-thal will not understand what we are going through in life.
Its a high time society need to change because this affects life and future generation. We don't feel great being a thal or even to pass on the disease to our children but whatever happens, life still goes on. Societies need to change...