Part I: Rare and Orphan Diseases -- Why R&D into Rare Diseases Matter -- Vignette: Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type I (APS 1) -- Rare Diseases: How Genomics has Transformed Thinking, Diagnoses and Hope for Affected Families -- Vignette: A Giant of a Man: Simon Ibell (MPS II) -- Innovative Funding Models for Rare Diseases -- Rare Diseases: The Medical and the Disability Perspectives in the Age of 2.0 -- Vignette: Taking Control of Thalassemia -- Industry Perspectives on Orphan Drug Development -- Part II: Health 2.0 -- Health 2.0: The Power of the Internet to Raise Awareness of Rare Diseases -- Vignette: Living with NOMID: Michael’s Story -- Health 2.0 and Information Literacy for Rare and Orphan Diseases -- Social Media and Engaging with Health Providers -- Vignette: Hope–Overcoming Fabry -- Empowering the Rare Disease Community: Thirty Years of Progress -- Part III: Patient Perspectives and Empowerment Issues -- The Role of Social Media in Healthcare: Experiences of a Crohn’s Disease Patient -- Vignette: The Blessings and Curse of Diagnosis: Myasthenia Gravis -- Noah’s Hope: Family Experiences of Batten Disease -- Using Technology to Share Information: Experiences of Oesophagus Atresia (OA) and Tracheaoesophageal Fistel (TOF) -- Vignette: MPSIIIA (Sanfilippo) -- The Empowered Patient in the Health System of the Future -- Vignette: The Journey of a Lifetime -- Personalized Medicine: A Cautionary Tale or Instructional Epic -- Part IV: Closing Gaps: Promising Research and Future Considerations -- Managing Communication for People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Role of the Brain-Computer Interface -- Vignette: The Wilderness -- Opportunities and Challenges for Supporting People with Vascular Dementia Through the Use of Common Web 2.0 Services -- Vignette: Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB): Sibling Experiences -- Health Policies for Orphan Diseases: International Comparison of Regulatory, Reimbursement and Health Services Policies -- Vignette: Route 125 (October 2009) -- Rare Diseases Challenges and Opportunities -- Epilogue.