@Sgthaytham,
The downvote stuff may have to do with 2 recent threads on the thumb vote stuff. Some members were upset by being voted down. I said it doesn't matter to me. This is apparently the result.
Apparently if a post receives five downvotes it is not visible. Just a message that it has been voted down. However the post can still be viewed and responded to. Additionally, a member can opt out of the collapsed post and thread so all posts are visible for them (as long as they are logged in here).
Anyway,hope all goes well with your friend and welcome to A2K.