Over the next few months, our team of four women will be blogging about our experience in training for The Breast Cancer 3-Day, a three day walk that will total 60 miles.  The walk will take place in Philadelphia, PA on October 16^th, 17^th and 18^th.  Each week leading up to the walk, one "Mama" will be writing about her experience training for this incredible adventure. We call ourselves "Mamas with a Mission" and I'm Mama 1.

My first blog will be about why I'm walking.  There are so many reasons why I could be walking.  There is the fact that both my mom and grandmother battled breast cancer.  They were both strong enough to beat it.  Or it could be for all the women who didn't win the fight with breast cancer.  I could be walking in their memory.  I have a daughter, I could be walking so that one day she won't have to.  These are all good reasons, and I'm sure they are partly the reason I am walking.  But to be honest, I'm walking because I'm scared that one day I will get breast cancer.

With having a family history of breast cancer, there is that good chance that I could get it too.  What if I'm not strong enough to beat it?  Seeing what my own mother went through brings doubt to my head.  Can I possibly be as strong as she was?  The chemo and radiation alone are a tremendous task to battle.  Or what if I didn't catch it in time?  There are so many women who give themselves regular breast exams and still don't catch it.  My mother had her lump for about a year and they just thought it was a blocked milk duct.  It was a good thing she was persistent. 

Then there are the physical changes...the loss of hair or worst yet, a breast.  I'm going to be totally honest, they are the two features that I like best about me.  Maybe that is vain, but after two children those are the parts of me that I still have going on.  I can't image going through a single or double mastectomy.  Would I still feel like a woman?  Would my husband still find me attractive?  I know he says that he loves me for who I am but still, would it be the same? 

Signing up to do this walk has brought on so many thoughts.  There have also been good ones.  The most important being, that it has taught me to cherish each day.  It might not be breast cancer that takes my life but one day something will.  Until then, I need to remind myself to enjoy life and never take it for granted. 

To find out more about the The Breast Cancer 3-Day go to www.the3day.org