I’m an MS warrior?

Molly Froude

There are a lot of bloggers with a range of different disabilities, and I think that’s a good thing. It raises awareness and gives other people with the same or a similar condition a role model to look up to for inspiration and makes them feel less alone. I can remember how valuable it was to me when I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to learn more about my new condition from people who had had it for longer, especially when they could have a laugh about it, where appropriate.

There is a term coined with MS: the “MS Warrior”. I’m sure this is a thing with other conditions as well, but it’s something I’ve noticed a lot with MS, and I don’t quite know why. There are all sorts of merchandise with supposedly inspiring spiels about being an MS warrior. I’ve had people send me social media posts about it too. But to be truthful…I’ve never really liked it.

Maybe this is my grumpy old woman coming through, but I find it a little bit patronising. The idea of a warrior brings connotations of being brave, strong, and fierce, even in the face of adversity. It’s true that being diagnosed with a lifelong illness has made me stronger, because it had to. It could have broken me otherwise. However, this is not a battle that I chose. I didn’t want to fight this. I didn’t want to become a warrior. So, I don’t personally think I’m brave for fighting a so-called battle that I had no choice in.

Is giving people with disabilities grandiose titles like ‘Warrior’ a form of inspiration porn? I’d consider it as such. And talking to fellow members of the society, I know how they feel about inspiration porn, and we share views on it. Yes, we are strong. But we would have been strong regardless of whether or not we ended up disabled or not. We can achieve things with or without circumstances that make it harder for us.

Also, I feel like everyone has battles to fight. MS just so happens to be one of mine. But I had battles long before I got diagnosed and I’ve had unrelated battles since, just like anyone else. Is there any really great need to separate me apart from the rest of the general public? Why can’t everyone be a warrior? I feel like it becomes very easy to undermine any other struggle that I or my fellow warriors have in our lives, as well as our hardships due to our physical health.

I’d be very interested to hear what other disabled people feel about terms like ‘warrior’ being used to describe members of our community. Of course, this is just my opinion, and I can’t speak for everyone. I’m sure there are people who find that the knowledge that people see them as a brave warrior helps them get up and carry on with their life when they feel like giving up.

But for me, I just find it unnecessary. I don’t need or want to be a warrior. Please just call me Molly. It’s plain and normal, but that’s fine with me!