Sometimes it just takes a step in the right direction.
For Innisfail's Doug Holsworth that meant walking 260,000 steps to help raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Innisfail resident recently participated in the 2016 Walk of The World in Nijmegen, Holland from July 19 to 22.
“PTSD is a real thing that affects numerous people, especially those in stressful careers in the service of others,” said Holsworth. “Whether it is military, correctional service, or first responders, you cannot let this affect your life in a negative manner and you need to deal with it in a healthy way so you can move forward.”
Holsworth, 49, has worked with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) for the past 22 years and has lived with PTSD for 15. Prior to his CSC career, Holsworth served in the Canadian military and worked as an infantryman for four years. He also completed one peacekeeping tour in Cyprus in 1998.
“Older people as myself who have been in this type of career for a long time don't speak about the issues,” he said.
“When I started in the CSC 22 years ago there was a social stigma attached to PTSD or to people that discussed it or had issues with what occurred at work. You just didn't talk about it,” added Holsworth, noting some issues surrounding PTSD may include flashbacks, anger and nightmares.
“Personally for me, I was just a very angry person until I decided to deal with these things,” explained Holsworth. “It affected myself and my family in a terrible way. I was just a very angry man.”
To help him deal with his PTSD and maintain good physical and mental health, Holsworth began to walk.
“One of the reasons I walk is that I've worked in a high stress job with the Correctional Service of Canada and I have PTSD and PTSD-related issues,” he said.
This year Holsworth applied to participate in the annual Walk of the World in Nijmegen, Holland, which was the 100th anniversary of the event.
It was his first time taking part in the walk and he wanted to use this opportunity to help raise awareness about PTSD.
“It's evolved now into this international event of walking,” said Holsworth. “It's the biggest event of its kind in the world.”
The walk, also referred to as the Nijmegen March, is held in Holland every July and first began a century ago as a long distance endurance training exercise for Dutch military personnel.
“Whoever completes the march receives a military medal (a royal Dutch medal). Every year that you participate it changes,” said Holsworth. “(They change) the design, the colour or a number to signify how many marches you've participated in. For me it was the first year so I received the original Nijmegen medal,” he added.
Holsworth was thrilled to have taken part in such an historic and personally meaningful march.
“It was tremendous. It was an experience of a lifetime,” he said. “I was very fortunate to be chosen.”
The walk itself took place over four consecutive days and included walking 50 kilometres a day for a total of 200 kilometres. Holsworth said he may have been sore from all the walking, but was well prepared for the event.
“They give you 100 days' notice and in the 95 days before I left I walked over 700 kilometres to train,” he said, noting the support he received from friends, family and co-workers with the CSC that made this walk in Holland possible.
“One of the mottoes of the Walk of the World is ‘you never walk alone'. Do not allow yourself to walk alone if you are afflicted with PTSD. Seek out the help that is available and get healthy for yourself and your family,” said Holsworth.
“For too long it was suppressed and I wouldn't talk about it. Now I'm willing to because I want to help other people.”
Doug Holsworth
"For too long it was suppressed and I wouldn't talk about it. Now I'm willing to because I want to help other people."
