b'To listen a bunch of people whining is not forbut I was willing and wanted to help; I\'m all me, so I\'ll pass.\' But against my judgment, Iabout support and education and J.W. and eventually decided to give it a shot and likedeverybody present is, too," she said.it afterward."With Desir at the helm, Were F**kin\' MS Ultimately, she caught the eye of groupWarriors evolved to needing further sub- leaders, who were drawn to her personalityorganizations. Within the group, there are and medical expertise, prompting them toactivechatsandamedicalteamranging invite her to become an admin. There, shefrom M.D., OT, RN, and PT, who engage with met J.W. Mike Freeman, an MSer who livedmembersandanswerquestions.Warriors outside the U.S. and taught her the technicalprovide resources, share humor, and their elements of managing an online group.journeys. There is a separate care partners In addition to increasing membership togroup and another for adaptive equipment. approximately 2,000 people, the pair performedMSers can also add their location to a world proper maintenance in their virtual space. map to connect with other group members "Surprisingly,therewasamultitudeofnearby.Desirlikensherselftobeingthe misinformation about MS; for instance, postsmother of a large and diverse family, living about symptom management listed symptomsup to her nickname, Momma D.thatdidnotalignwithwhatanyonewithShe said, "I\'m a latchkey kid, the oldest of multiple sclerosis experienced. I could go on,all my siblings, even my step-siblings, so I am but let\'s just say there was much cleaning up toused to looking after everybody. In leading do. Most of the individuals were not medicallythis group, my approach is no different. Its trained and joined for information on how tomy unique touch; I give motherly hugs and lead a better quality of life, so if they werelove because everybody needs a mother to misled by what others shared and actedprovide comfort. I may not be a biological one on it, it put them at a higher risk of diseaseto most, but I don\'t have to be. I am a mom at progression. heart, and with that, what else do you need. Between my nursing background andDesir stresses the success of Were F**kin\' personal MS experiences, I helped directMS Warriorsdoesnotrestentirelyonher people to the right organizations and possibleshoulders. In addition to J.W.s initial innovation treatment options. As this happened, ourand participation, over the years, Desir has numbers grew," she said. trained 31 individuals who serve as admins The duo eventually parted ways with theand moderators, while more than 100 operate grouptheymanagedand J.W.encouragedas experts, which allows Desir to step back Desirtojoinhiminstartingoneoftheirandregroup whennecessary.Ialwaystell own. While at rst opposed to the idea, shethem that I love them; I know their stories. No gaveinandthusbeganWereF**kin\'MSone gets paid to help manage the page. They Warriors.do so out of the goodness of their hearts; I "J.W. said he wanted to see how far I coulddon\'t know where I would be without them.take the new group, so immediately, I contacted"My occasional absence never stops the MS.net and MS Focus for postage, and getWarriors from reaching out to see if I am okay this: back then, I was sending out handwrittenand I do the same in reverse. It\'s a humbling, notes to members, which took a lot of time,harmonious,reciprocalexchangeofthe 35 msfocusmagazine.org'