Canadian Forces veteran Steve Hartwig is amidst a cross-country trek to educate Canadians about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hartwig, along with the two other veterans on the march, paraded through North Bay on Wednesday. PHOTO BY LIAM BERTI.
Roughly one in every 10 Canadians experiences Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at some point.
Steve Hartwig, Jason McKenzie and Scott McFarlane are just three of them.
But together, the trio is marching across Canada to change the way people think about PTSD and help create a better understanding of what it is those experiencing it are dealing with.
On Wednesday, the Into No Man’s Land march stopped in North Bay to spread the message amidst their cross-country trek to raise awareness for, and change the public perception of, PTSD.
“There’s a stigma that’s attached in a lot of our society because a lot of people don’t know what PTSD really is,” said Hartwig. “That type of approach really needs to change. My goal, first and foremost, is to increase awareness into exactly what PTSD is.”
Because PTSD has a long history of being misunderstood and misdiagnosed, Hartwig says the intention is to create an environment throughout the country where those needing help feel comfortable enough to come forward and find the appropriate means of dealing with it.
So far on their march, he says, the reaction has been incredible, with notable figures such as Rick Hansen contacting them to offer support. And, as the group recently found out, the Canadian Forces have already endorsed the march.
“The way I perceived the march and thought about it at the start was: just go and it will all fall into place,” Hartwig explained. “That’s exactly what’s happened and it’s been overwhelming; the support has been incredible.”
The march began in Victoria, B.C., on June 23 and expects to wrap up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in late September, with all three of them speaking about their experiences and working to improve the state of PTSD along the way. Together, Hartwig, McFarlane and McKenzie served in the Croatian peacekeeping mission and in former Yugoslavia in 1992-93.
The trio are travelling a minimum of 32 kilometers a day for six days a week, broken into a 16 kilometer rucksack march followed by a 16 kilometer run augmented with short drives.
The physical and mental hurdles of each day’s march, he says, can be a metaphor for what those with PTSD deal with on a daily basis: having the courage to take just one more step.
“I chose the format of the march because I want to be physically, emotionally and psychologically exhausted,” said Hartwig. “The representation, for me, is when people see that, that’s what it’s like to have PTSD. Some days you don’t want to get out of bed, you don’t want to answer the phone; you just want to hide.
“My goal is to say ‘don’t take a way out. Instead, take one more step,’" Hartwig continued. “It could be the tiniest step, but just keep trying.”
Upon arriving in North Bay, Hartwig was given a warm welcome by passers by as he paraded down Main Street. After arriving at City Hall, the three veterans were greeted by Mayor Al McDonald and other members of the community.
“I think this type of reception is indicative that this is just the right time to talk about it,” he said.
Confronting a daunting challenge is nothing new for Hartwig. After serving with the Royal Westminster Regiment for four years where he trained as a paratrooper, infantryman and peacekeeper, Hartwig says he struggled with depression, anger and even suicidal thoughts. The atrocities he witnessed, he explains, changed his life forever.
Now, he’s spreading the message that those dealing with PTSD need to know that they are ok and that those closest to them love and accept them as they are; PTSD is merely another aspect of what makes them who they are.
Understanding that alone, he says, is a crucial part in the healing process.
“What we’re trying to do is set a bit of an example: yes, I’ve had trauma; yes, I’ve made bad choices and decisions. But PTSD isn’t reflective of my character. It affects me and that’s what I need to work on: how do I deal with my PTSD?
“I want people with PTSD to feel like they can say it,” said Hartwig.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, PTSD is brought on by large-scale ordeals such as natural disasters, accidents, death, serious injury, or in the case of Hartwig, the traumatic experiences he faced while serving the country in combat.
Hartwig says respecting the individual needs and coping mechanisms of each and every PTSD patient is a big part of the healing process as well.
“One individual might require clinical care, another might need a therapy dog, while someone else might need to do expressive art,” he explained. “With PTSD, there are so many variables: type of trauma, age, different intellect level…So we can’t just say there’s one cure.”
After spending the majority of the afternoon in town, the trio set off for part two of the day’s march towards Barrie, where they’ll march through on Thursday.
Together, they’ve been marching for over a month now. But if you ask them, they’re just getting started.
To follow their journey or for more information on the march, visit www.intonomansland.com
