{"id":427417,"date":"2026-05-06T01:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T01:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/427417\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T01:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T01:41:31","slug":"mental-health-advocate-kyndal-ray-edwards-reaches-charleston-on-10000-mile-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/427417\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental health advocate Kyndal Ray Edwards reaches Charleston on 10,000-mile walk"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) \u2014 One man is raising awareness for mental health one step at a time\u2014walking more than 10,000 miles across the country with a purpose.<\/p>\n

Kyndal Ray Edwards has spent nearly three years crossing 28 states as part of a journey that recently brought him to Charleston. Along the way, he\u2019s been sharing his story and encouraging others who may be facing the same struggles he once did.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, it was a dream that had nothing to do with the cause,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI just wanted to walk across America after hearing about somebody that done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that dream took on new meaning during a turning point in his life.<\/p>\n

READ MORE | Report shows South Carolina meets only 27% of Its mental health workforce needs<\/a><\/p>\n

Edwards says while serving a five-year prison sentence, he made the decision to change his path. After regaining his freedom, he committed himself to raising awareness about mental health and recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was shortly after I changed my life during a five-year prison sentence,\u201d he said. \u201cI picked mental health awareness and recovery and got out of prison and came out here to make a positive impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, each mile he walks is tied to that mission\u2014speaking openly about mental health and reaching people who may feel alone.<\/p>\n

Edwards says the topic is often overlooked, especially among men.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs somebody who has tried to take my life twice, who has dealt with depression, especially as a man\u2014the stigma is harder to break,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. More than 1 in 7 children between the ages of 6 and 17 also experience a mental health disorder annually.<\/p>\n

Despite the physical and mental challenges of walking thousands of miles, Edwards says giving up was never an option.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started changing my life, I remembered a person\u2019s only as good as their word, and their word is only as good as their action,\u201d he said. \u201cI want my actions to back up everything that I say I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE | ‘We’re doing it all for him’: Bill for youth mental health advances in State House<\/a><\/p>\n

Edwards also says his journey is about remembering those who are no longer here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say you die twice\u2014the first time when you\u2019re buried, and the second time is the last time someone mentions your name,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want anybody to have that second one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his walk, Edwards documents his journey on TikTok, reaching thousands and continuing to spread his message of hope.<\/p>\n

For those struggling, his message is simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to know me personally to know I mean this,\u201d he said. \u201cI love you and I care about you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) \u2014 One man is raising awareness for mental health one step at a time\u2014walking more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[163,85,46,522,523],"class_list":["post-427417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}