man is walking across America raising awareness on mental health

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – A man on a mission, walking thousands of miles across America to shine a light on mental health and recovery, is now walking through the Panhandle.

“There’s so many people that feel so alone, that feel so hopeless, and I’m trying to bring love back, I’m trying to bring positivity and kindness,” said Kyndal Ray.

Ray is walking across America to raise awareness about mental health and recovery. As a recovering addict and convicted felon, he knows what it’s like to walk through dark places.

“The last 18 years of my life, I have tried to take my life twice, I have overdosed, I’ve been in county jail 11 times, and in prison twice, I’m 32, I got 13 felony convictions,” said Ray.

But he says God had other plans.

“I’m a firm believer that my past does not define me and that there’s always hope. I’m 74 months drug-free right now,” said Ray.

Kyndal has walked more than 8,000 miles, across 26 states, meeting over 6,000 people with their own recovery stories.

“I walked the entire West Coast down through Oregon through California, through the southernmost point of California to the southwestern point in California, Border Field State Park, from there I walked to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the Forest Gump Point and Monument Valley, the Four Corners Monument, all the way through Texas, over to here,” he said.

His goal: to walk the four corners of the lower 48 states twice, then 100 miles on every continent.

So, how do his feet hold up?

“So, you know, as you walk so much and you go through over 83 hundred miles, I think I’ve gone through 20 pairs of shoes, so my feet don’t necessarily hurt a lot, but my legs are always sore,” said Ray.

Through it all, he says his faith keeps him going.

“God never turned his back on me, I turned my back on God for a while, I’m not proud of my past, I’m not proud of all the bad things that I did, but I had to go through them to be the man I am today, to be able to come out here and tell people that they matter,” said Ray.

Kyndal hopes to inspire others to find light in their darkest moments. He calls himself a walking testimony of faith and second chances. He’s fundraising for the non-profit organization “Addict II Athlete” and says if he inspires even one person to choose hope, every step is worth it.

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