My Heroes

I admin a private support group on Facebook for folks coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic diseases. (Private means you can’t find it with a search engine, so everything we say stays in the group and not seen by the public. You can only join by invitation of a member.) There are over 400 of us now. Most have MS along with a myriad of other diagnoses such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, lymphedema, depression, migraines, and more. We have members with Crohn’s, Ehlers-Danloss, and cardiac problems. Some folks are caretakers of others with these diseases.

Every day, it’s a challenge finding ideas that can ease each other’s pain or keep each other’s households afloat, but we do it anyway, and we keep at it. We are living for a cure for each and every one of these ailments, and we are going to try to carry each other along into the future until the cures come for us all.

You would be amazed at the strength of our folks. So many are in constant pain while they raise their kids, care for their parents, or just keep up with life. They are all heroes. No matter how low a body is, there is always someone who offers a reason to cheer up, and who encourage us to press on in the fight.

We have few rules in our group. There’s the sanctity of the group – nothing gets copied out to other sites. There’s also a sense of civility. We are not rude. We do not belittle each other or compete to see who hurts more or knows best. Incredible! I am constantly humbled, and forever grateful.