SWFL.io - Local NewsReporter: Haley Jacobs
•6/26/2026
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Teal shirts, handmade signs and dozens of walkers filled downtown Fort Myers Friday morning as the City of Fort Myers hosted its fifth annual PTSD Awareness Walk, encouraging people to talk openly about post-traumatic stress and seek help when they need it.
The event, held during PTSD Awareness Month, began with presentations inside City Hall before participants took part in a one-mile walk through downtown.
For Fort Myers Police Officer Jordan Nold, the event is about much more than a walk.
"PTSD awareness is about education," Nold said. "It's about releasing a stigma, encouraging people to speak up and seek the help that they need."
Nold said many people struggle with post-traumatic stress without others ever knowing.
"PTSD is not always a surface-level noticeable disorder that people deal with," he said. "A lot of times people deal with it behind closed doors, and we're out here to encourage people to communicate and educate and talk about it."
First responders often witness traumatic events throughout their careers, but Nold emphasized that PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced trauma.
He also challenged the way many people think about PTSD.
"I don't even consider it a disorder," Nold said. "It's a normal human response to the things we go through on a daily basis."
Rather than suffering in silence, he hopes people know there are resources and support systems available.
"I would encourage everybody to acknowledge that we have the resources to deal with things like this on the ground level," he said. "Not everything requires a medical doctor to give us the help we need."
Fort Myers Fire Department Engineer Paramedic Phil Turner also participated in the walk. He said the event serves as a reminder that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
"Today we walked for PTSD awareness, supporting anybody with PTSD, anybody that might be struggling and not speaking out," Turner said.
Despite the summer heat, Turner said it was encouraging to see members of the community standing alongside first responders.
"It was nice to see everybody out here and everybody supporting the cause," he said.
Turner said continuing to hold events like this is important because they create opportunities for conversations that might not otherwise happen.
"It brings awareness to hopefully allow people to speak up and step forward if they need help and might be struggling in silence," Turner said.
City leaders say the annual walk has become an important tradition, now in its fifth year, bringing together police officers, firefighters, city employees and residents to show support for those affected by PTSD while helping reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Organizers hope the message people take away is simple: no one has to face PTSD alone, and reaching out for help can be the first step toward healing.
Click here for more information on the PTSD Awareness Walk.