Looking Back: Chad Kennedy “Never Alone”

Rod Serling, that iconic narrator of the series Twilight Zone, used to open each show with the challenging sentence, “Imagine if you will!” This phrase went through my head recently when I sat down with Chad Kennedy, the champion of Sea to Sea for PTSD to learn about his journey. And what a remarkable journey it has been. Having said that, “Imagine if you will”, what dealing with this disabling acronym can mean. Repeated trauma that brings re-experiencing  events, anxiety, huge anger, feeling sick, tense, on edge, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, self destructive behaviour, emotional numbness and distorted thoughts. It is a whole litany of issues that eventually catch up with some who are “in service”.  That is to say those that keep us safe in our community and on our highways and in our country. It is a debilitating disorder that can, without support, take some down the road of suicidal ideation. Some have found this as the only solution and some manage to step back. Chad Kennedy recalls how close he came when he stepped back from the edge on August 2nd, 2020.  Stepped back from a plan he had formed in his head to end the pain and instead decided not only to stay but to work to foster awareness and bring help for those out there suffering as he does.   More understanding and acknowledgement was the order of the day.

Chad’s choice of reversal was to do a walk across Canada in a campaign designed to bring occupation stress injury issues (OSI), like PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) into the light.  The walk he contemplated would raise monies towards informing the communities across Canada about these disorders and those afflicted, and how there is help that could be brought to bear.  

Chad recently rolled out his extensive work history to me in the interview, from his military service to auxiliary RCMP and then as a special constable (community peace officer) in Fort McMurray. Just like here, these officers respond along with RCMP to all kinds of events. This was the beginnings of his exposure to some harsh realities of police service. In 2008 he was invited to join the Sheriffs Highway Department, took the training, and found himself working patrol on Highway 63 (often called the highway of death). One can only imagine what that was like. In December of 2008, five people died on that highway and seven more the following month.

Eventually, in 2011, he was transferred to Banff and worked the highways there until 2021.  It was in 2018 that his father, a former RCMP who was well aware of the toll the job can take, recognized his anger issues as PTSD and urged him to seek help. Then came the July 18th, 2020 event, the horrific Columbia Icefields crash that claimed three and injured 17.  Suffice to say attending and dealing with the chaos of this heart wrenching complicated remote crash compounded his PTSD to the extent that he formed the plan to end the pain some two weeks later; a plan that he fortunately chose not to take.  Instead a concept formed in his head in that pivotal moment, to help others and himself in the process, by walking across Canada to promote awareness. Now that’s what I call a turnaround. 

Some months later after the icefields incident, in February of 2021, he found himself so badly affected by the disorder that he could not report for work and was forced to put off his career indefinitely.  Since that time, with hundreds of hours of counseling and a lot of support, he has become a force de jour for his cause.  He began planning for that walk across Canada and did just that. In 2022 he walked from Cranbrook to Montreal and then from Quebec City to St. John’s, Nfld, in 2023. All along the way he made hundreds of important connections and promoted awareness.  

Now in 2025 he has once again chosen to not just talk the talk but walk the walk, once again across Canada. The first leg of his journey will happen this year starting in St John’s, where he had found huge support, ending in Windsor, Ontario.  On the second leg, which will occur in 2026, he and his team will restart the walk from Ontario and walk right to the West Coast.  That is a lot of walking which is almost incomprehensible to most of us.  Chad pounds the pavement at an average of 35 km per day, all with the help of an assisting safety person and his trusty Dodge support vehicle, a well decorated machine that often serves as sleeping quarters.  But, and this is a big but, that Dodge has a huge engine issue so Chad has been busy trying to raise monies for a $12,000 engine replacement. To do this, amongst others thing, he has posted a whole raft of amazing items in a bid auction on his Facebook site. There is also a planned walk-a-thon this weekend that all are invited to join. It is his hope that perhaps many will choose to acquire a pledge sheet and help raise further monies for this repair.  The walk will start at 1 pm at Rum Runners on Saturday the 15th, a place where owner Tim and his staff  have been huge supporters  It will end up right back there 24 hours later at 1 pm on the 16th.

One can choose to join the walk at any time, which will, of course, not be continuous but can be very symbolic for the walker.  Chad has promised to post his location and time as he proceeds on the walk so that you can find a place to join in for however long you choose.  I will most assuredly walk some of this walk but I have also chosen to lean into the fund raising effort with an auction of my own.  On the Crowsnest Network you will find a post with multiple pictures of a family collection of ornate pieces of Bohemian pinwheel crystal made in Czechoslovakia. You can PM me with an offer on any of the items and all proceeds will go towards Chad’s admirable efforts at promoting awareness.   Chad Kennedy is a mental health advocate and a man on a 6 km/hr journey to find purpose. You can also find him on his Facebook site every morning, giving a short life update and boosting message. 

This year’s cross Canada trek will be promoting “Families First” and the importance of educating loved ones about PTSD/OSI which is so important during the healing process.  Sea to Sea For PTSD alongside Can-Praxis has launched what they call “The Big Coloring Book” designed for families with an occupational stress injury. Its job is to create an opportunity for the affected to ask questions and have safe conversations with their loved ones.  Can-Praxis is a Canadian Mental Health provider out of Alberta and is the leading Equine-Assisted Therapy Provider for veterans and first responders.