To help increase awareness and raise funds for the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center in Van Nuys and fulfill a long-held personal goal, Thelma Ryder completed a six-day, 82.5-mile walking pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) between Portugal and Spain.
Ryder, who raised more than $5,000 for the local mental health facility, said she felt compelled to finally walk the famously difficult Camino trek – which had been her dream for 40 years – in the wake of her own mental health challenges in recent years. Due to personal difficulties she was facing at the time, she began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks for the first time in her life.
“Last year, things got really crazy in January,” explained Ryder, who was caring for her ailing mother at the time. “It became a very challenging time for me emotionally – I was just a wreck and I started having anxiety attacks, but I didn’t know what they were at the time.”
Ryder, who is married to Tim Ryder, president and CEO of SFV Community Mental Health Center, said that despite being “surrounded by psychologists” and being accustomed to hearing “psychology language” and topics at home, she didn’t recognize the symptoms she was feeling.
“One day my daughter said, ‘Mom, you’re having an anxiety attack,’” recounted Ryder, who was surprised, but also somewhat relieved to finally understand what was happening to her. “I couldn’t diagnose myself, of course, to realize that this was what was going on with me. So I got a therapist, and he really helped me a lot, to start to get stronger and finally start feeling better.”
Through regular therapy, Ryder said she began “talking out” her anxiety, and learning how it can affect, or be affected by, all aspects of a person’s life and personal relationships.
“I realized how important therapy really is. So many people are so scared of it, but there’s nothing to be scared of,” said Ryder, who dedicated her Camino walk to raising awareness about the importance of mental health care and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help. “I want people to know it’s OK to ask for help and that getting help really makes a big difference.”
Ryder said she also wanted to raise funds to support the vital services provided by the SFV Community Mental Health Center – which serves approximately 15,000 patients per year – to help ensure access to local community members seeking assistance.
Ryder chronicled her preparation for the Portuguese route of the Camino and her daily experiences on a Facebook page dedicated to her journey. She embarked on the Camino – which draws an estimated 350,000 peregrinos (pilgrims) every year – after months of meeting with a personal trainer and taking regular practice hikes in the hills near her Sierra Madre home.
A few friends and her husband accompanied Ryder on the pilgrimage. They started on May 6 near the border in northern Portugal, traveled north and finished on May 14, when they arrived in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Ryder described the Camino as “idyllic,” with tree-lined paths along the River Louro and welcoming locals in the towns they passed through or spent the night.
But it was also challenging. They rested one day and were forced to sit out two other days due to rain. The rest of the time, they walked between 11.5 miles a day to 17.7 miles on their sixth and final day, when Ryder logged 45,049 steps – much of it “torture” due to miles of steep hills.
“There were at least two days when it was just torture – you climb and climb and climb … [and] there were moments when I was in tears and it was so terrifying,” recalled Ryder, who said her husband and other pilgrims they encountered along the route were all very encouraging every step of the way. Unfortunately, she took a painful tumble on their second to last day.
“I was doing well and feeling very proud of myself and that’s when I fell,” said Ryder. But after getting first aid and resting for a few hours, they eventually walked to their next overnight stop. When they arrived in Praza do Obradoiro – the grand square in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which marked the official end of their long journey – it was surreal, she said.
“To accomplish this walk after over 40 years of wanting to do it, plus all the months of training … I just cried when I realized I’d finally done what I’d set out to do so many years ago; it was absolute joy and exhaustion,” said Ryder, who received congratulatory hugs from several fellow pilgrims they saw in the plaza who were completing their pilgrimages that same day.
“Both Tim and I were very emotional as we stood in front of the cathedral,” she added. “I hope our journey encourages other people.”
To read highlights and view photos from Thelma Ryder’s journey along the Camino de Santiago, go to: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555200440923&mibextid=LQQJ4d.
To make a donation or learn more about the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center and the services they offer, call (818) 901-4830 or go to: www.movinglivesforward.org.