'My Last Lifeline'

Like many people who come to Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative, Carlos Ordóñez felt he was at the end of his rope. For over a decade, he had been experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a traumatic brain injury (TBI), resulting in chronic depression and anxiety, panic attacks, and chronic migraines. While he sought help through the military, nothing was working. 

As things got worse, Carlos began having suicidal ideations.

 “No one saw the pain I was in,” Carlos says. “I was suffering in silence.” 

Carlos was in the U.S. Army for 18 years in Mechanized Infantry and later in Special Forces. He had a total of 11 deployments and although he has experienced several TBI incidents, the more significant were in Afghanistan in 2007 when he was involved in three different explosions. When he heard about SHARE from a friend, he decided to try it. 

After his acceptance in April 2019, he began psychological, speech, physical, occupational, and recreational therapy. Doctors prescribed medications to alleviate his chronic migraines. By the time he left three months later, he had seen dramatic improvements. 

“It was the last time I’d had any suicidal thoughts,” he says. “The symptoms of my PTSD decreased, and my migraines improved. I became a better husband and father. And the counseling my family received helped them understand my symptoms.” 

Carlos medically retired from the Army in October 2019 and focused on his health and eventually a new career. He returned to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies from Manna University and now works there teaching Latin American students. While studying for his master’s degree, he began to experience eye strain/fatigue and more frequent migraines, which led to depression. He returned to SHARE in March 2025. 

“They are helping me learn the different triggers and how to pace myself before the migraines increase to a debilitating level,” Carlos says. “I am also learning new tools to make things easier on my eyes.” 

Carlos says that because of SHARE, he is happier, more focused, and has fewer PTSD and TBI symptoms. He also has a better relationship with his family. “I came to Shepherd with the hope that I would get better,” he says. “The SHARE program was my last lifeline. They helped me, they helped my family, and we are all smiling again.”

Written by Sara Baxter