St. Cloud police officer to run across Florida to raise mental health awareness
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - St. Cloud police officer Justin Zeigler is getting ready to run across the state of Florida to raise mental health awareness and bring attention to a nonprofit close to his heart.
"Looks to be about 200 miles without any bonus miles," Zeigler said.
He's been ultra racing for about four years now, but this adventure means a lot to him.
"I want to bring some awareness to mental health for law enforcement officers," he said.
A few years ago, Zeigler said his partner in the force killed himself, and he never realized how much it impacted him.
"I wasn't reaching out. I wasn't doing things. And if they hadn't talked to me, I was pretty close to setting on that path where I would consider doing that, and I'm better for that," he said.
He credits the change in his outlook to a presentation he saw at work by the Survive First Foundation, a nonprofit made up of former law enforcement officers dedicated to helping first responders get the help they need.
"When we get done, and we get off the stage and somebody like Justin comes out and says, ‘Hey, you saved my life,’ that's why I was a cop. Because I wanted to save people's lives," Doug Monda, the foundation's president and founder, said.
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Monda was a former City of Cocoa police officer who struggled with PTSD and is a suicide survivor himself.
"I could clearly see once I had learned what I had learned that I was not the only one," he said.
That's why Zeigler wants to spread the word about groups working to end the stigma surrounding mental health.
"Being not afraid to step up and say, ‘Hey, I got something going on, I need help,’ I think that's a big thing," he said.
Monda and foundation board member Raul Rivas, a former Orlando police officer, are thrilled to cheer Zeigler on what is now his journey to help others.
"Justin, when it gets dark, just know that there's light at the end of the tunnel. We'll be there," Monda said.
Zeigler takes off from the west coast of Florida on Tuesday. He expects his journey to St. Augustine will take him about four days.