'A Walking Testimony' mental health advocate visits Sonoma County on walk across America, tells locals 'you matter'

Mar. 22—For nearly 500 days, Florida native Kyndal Ray Edwards has been walking across the United States toting a "You Matter" sign, and spreading a message of mental health awareness. This week he made his way to Sonoma County and shared his story with local students and people in recovery.

In a word, Edwards said in a phone call Thursday from a hotel that his trek down the Pacific Coast Highway, which will take him to the Golden Gate Bridge on March 30, has been "epic."

"I'm from a huge city, so we don't see stuff like this," Edwards said of west Sonoma County's rolling hills and small towns. "Highway One has been insane. It's one of the most challenging yet rewarding roads that can be walked because every sight is just absolutely gorgeous."

Since leaving from his home in Jacksonville, Florida, on Jan. 1, 2022, Edwards has been trekking west, then south, as part of a journey he calls "A Walking Testimony" that will eventually take him to all four corners of the lower 48 states.

Along the way he documents his journey on social media and speaks to people on the road and to groups and schools he connects with online.

"The main thing I do is share my story every single day, multiple times a day," he said.

Before embarking on his walk, Edwards said he dealt with depression, drug use and a life of crime in Florida. After reading an article in 2013 about a University of South Florida student, Harrison Milanian, who walked across America to raise awareness about fitness, he became inspired to do the same, but continued drug use landed him a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence in 2015.

During his incarceration, he said he finally turned his life around and is now nearly five years sober and over 4,600 miles into his walk, having crossed from Florida to the northwest corner of Washington. He's on his way to San Diego before returning to Florida and walking to Maine.

While making his way through the North Bay, Edwards has seen Salt Point State Park, Fort Ross, Valley Ford, Bodega Bay and the famous schoolhouse from "The Birds" in the town of Bodega. He also stopped at the Olympia House Rehab center in Petaluma on Wednesday to speak to staff and clients and spoke to students at a Tomales elementary school Thursday.

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At the center of his message is that "You Matter."

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"I tell people that they are loved and they have value and purpose and they matter," Edwards said. "And I tell people that when it comes to recovery, a support system is amazing, but none of it is going to work unless you want it to work. Recovery is hard if you don't have good mental health, that's the center of everything if you ask me."

Throughout his two-year journey, Edwards has faced setbacks, including hernia surgery and challenges like a walk through the Rocky Mountains in winter, but said his self-determination to complete his goal keeps him on the road.

"I thrive off of accomplishments after giving myself a goal, especially a challenging goal," he said. "That stretch from Leggett (in Mendocino County) to the coast was one of the hardest days on my journey. I did 1,900 feet of elevation climbing on winding roads with semis coming at me all day. At the end of it, I was jumping around ecstatic because I had completed something super challenging."

Edwards funds his journey by selling "A Walking Testimony" merchandise online and accepts donations and lodging from the 44,000 people who follow him on TikTok and other social media platforms.

He said people he meets every day keep him motivated to keep walking, from those who see his "You Matter" sign and stop to talk, to those who share their own stories of dealing with addiction or depression.

"Almost 90% of comments (on social media) are somebody saying how much of an inspiration this journey is or what this journey is doing for them, it's stuff like that that keeps me going," he said.

In addition to following his walk on social media, Edwards encourages people to share his message and advocate for mental health and addiction recovery in their own ways.

He also invites those who want to walk with him to join him on March 30 for his trip across the Golden Gate Bridge.

The day will mark his 31st birthday and his 500th day of walking.

Edwards will begin his walk from the Sausalito side at 1 p.m., holding his "You Matter" sign, and will then make his way through the city.

"Anybody that can see the sign, we just want them to know that they matter," he said.

For more information, go to kyndalray.com and follow Edwards' journey at facebook.com/WalkingAcrossAmerica22.

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