These feet were made for walking

March is MS Awareness month

Mom, Nancy, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the early 60's.  Back then there wasn't much hope for a cure much less for a fulfilling life.  I believe that the doctor that determined that mom had MS told her that she probably wouldn't live to see her children grow up.  That's a pretty rough sentence to hand out  to a young (29) mother of 4 small children.  However, Nancy didn't roll over and give up, she fought tooth and nail to beat this disease.  Mom not only saw all of her children grow up to adulthood, she saw her granddaughters do the same.  

From this, I learned to never give up. Mom didn't have to say those words, she lived those words.

MS Research has brought some wonderful medications that help the modern day patient cope with this devastating disease. I met a woman on the MS Challenge walk that has made a turn around from using a cane and walker to now walking independently.  That doesn't mean that the meds work for everyone.  As I've found out, there are so many variations in where MS attacks the body (ruining the nerves outer layer) that the medications are not a one size fits all solution.  More research is needed, and for this I walk.  I walk in the annual Spring MS Walk and for the past 3 years I have joined the annual Fall MS Challenge Walk (50 miles, 3 days)  in beautiful Door County Wisconsin.  This year, all 3 of my daughters are planning on joining me.

We've started training.  Training to walk?  I know, I didn't think you had to either.  Until I participated in my first 15 mile walk back in 1986.  Right about mile 7, my feet started talking to me.  I finished that walk, but had to put lots of Band-Aids on when I was done.  We start out slow, usually 1-2 miles a day, and build up to 3-4 miles every other day.  Weekends are made for power walking, I try to get in 6-10 miles at a stretch when we get closer to Challenge Walk time, which is in late September.  I'll post our progress.

This is my oldest daughter at mile 13, her lucky number, last year.  Day one was a beautiful Fall day.

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