of children with Edwards syndrome)

In this article I assess the social phenomenon of the assistance provided by an online
forum, which helps relatives of children with Edwards Syndrome. As an ‘invisible observer’,
I followed the functioning of this community from February 2011 until the end of 2013. The
analysis of approximately 1800 statements obtained from this online discussion group,
revealed that forum membership is an invaluable source of emotional support, which is
informative, evaluative and contributes to making friends and extending communication
outside the forum. The most important factor is that those who participate in the online
discussions support each other emotionally. It can be observed in many ways: it gives the
parents hope for a better future and provides positive examples of successful recovery from
trauma.