Sergio Alfaro sat in the middle of a test at Harvard Medical School, but all he could think about were traumatic events that happened in Iraq.
After serving as a medic in Iraq, Sergio followed up his Army and Air Force National Guard career by graduating with honors from UC Riverside and gaining entrance into Harvard Medical School.
It was a dream he had nurtured for a long time. Then, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) unraveled his personal and professional life.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 see past the memories,鈥� Sergio recalled. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 get past the feelings. I couldn鈥檛 pull up the information that I had worked so hard to learn.鈥�
He was also growing distant from his wife, his family, and friends. He thought he needed to 鈥減ull the plug鈥� on his emotions to be able to function, but he only became isolated.
鈥淭he more I tried to cut off my emotions, the more I actually drove people away, and the more people just did not want to be around me or talk to me,鈥� Sergio said.
鈥淭he people who loved me had left me because they honestly believed that I had become my PTSD and that the person I used to be was gone.鈥�
He ended up withdrawing from med school and feeling he had little to live for after losing his long-term career goal and alienating his loved ones. He contemplated suicide.
His wife, Christina, told Sergio that she did not know how much longer she could continue living in fear. Her honesty helped him recognize that his marriage might not survive unless he sought additional help.
鈥淚 realized my relationship wouldn鈥檛 last if I didn鈥檛 change. I was living in a reality shaped by war. I knew I needed more help.鈥�
Fortunately, in attempting to find help to save his marriage, Sergio found an opportunity to receive PTSD treatment via 黑料不打烊庐 (奥奥笔).听
A Life-Changing Program
With Christina's support, Sergio entered Warrior Care Network庐, an outpatient treatment program that provides tailored mental health care, rehabilitative medicine, wellness, nutrition, mindfulness training, and more to veterans, service members, and their families.
For more than a decade, Warrior Care Network has helped warriors address symptoms of PTSD and other invisible wounds through in-person and virtual programming that includes clinical and wraparound support, individualized to each participant.听
A Family Affair
For warrior听Yolanda Poullard, family was both a focus and a motivation to try Warrior Care Network. After retiring from the Army, Yolanda tried several programs to address her PTSD. She credits the time she spent at Operation Mend, UCLA Health鈥檚 Warrior Care Network program, with changing her life.
鈥淭he treatment from Warrior Care Network brought the light back into my family and into my household, and it gave me the strength, the energy, to want to live again, because without Warrior Care Network, I wouldn鈥檛 be here today,鈥� Yolanda said.
Yolanda鈥檚 challenges were rooted in experiences that followed her home after deployments. She survived a sexual assault while deployed to Iraq, and, years later, a suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed fellow soldiers and civilians. She struggled with survivor鈥檚 guilt, grief, and depression.
Although she had returned home to her husband and young daughter, she says her mind remained in Afghanistan. 听鈥淚 was still waking up in the morning like I was going on a mission, looking for my gear,鈥� she shared.
Anxiety made it hard for her to leave the house, causing her to miss many of her daughter鈥檚 school activities and recitals.听
鈥淟ife was dark. The angrier and depressed I got, I just wanted to give up.鈥�
During one of those times, a family member recognized that she was in danger and intervened during a potential suicide crisis.听
Getting through that moment did not resolve the trauma underlying Yolanda鈥檚 struggles. While searching for a way forward, Yolanda connected with WWP. Someone suggested Warrior Care Network. Yolanda agreed and went to .
鈥淚 was in this black tunnel, looking and struggling for light, and, Warrior Care Network, they helped me find my light,鈥� Yolanda said. 鈥淚t gave me the strength and energy, to want to live again. It also gave me the tools, the skills, and resources to live again. And I鈥檓 very grateful to 黑料不打烊 for that.鈥�
For Yolanda, those tools remained important long after she completed the program. 鈥淭here are still challenges and still hills and valleys. You will face obstacles, good and bad days, but those tools are helpful every day,鈥� she says.
鈥淥peration Mend has been one of the greatest blessings,鈥� said Yolanda, who returned to the program after her husband passed in 2023 for a refresh.听
Today, Yolanda holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and serves as an adjunct psychology professor at a local community college. She also draws on her experiences to encourage others to seek support, serving as a volunteer navigator to help veteran students connect with necessary resources. In her spare time, she hosts 鈥�Behind the Smile,鈥� a podcast featuring candid conversations about resilience, mental health, loss, healing, and personal growth.
Getting It All Out
After returning from Iraq, Air Force veteran听Sam Hargrove was angry and confused. She began drinking. While VA had helped Sam through a crisis period, her long-term mental health continued to be a challenge. 鈥淚 was in a stage where I didn鈥檛 know where I was going to be one day to the next,鈥� Sam said."My family needs me and not a person who鈥檚 not really there."
During one particularly difficult moment, she left home intending to die by suicide. But then she thought about her family and the pain her death would cause. Instead, she reached out for help.
Sam had found other听WWP support programs, and so when she learned about Warrior Care Network, she felt she was on the right path. Sam spent two weeks at the Veterans Program at Emory Healthcare.听
鈥淚 jumped right in 鈥� I was ready to rip the Band-Aid off. It was like my pop telling me what I needed to hear. So, even though at first I wasn鈥檛 sure I wanted to be there, I opened up. As you tell your story, more parts come back. It puts you in an uncomfortable spot, and you have to be willing to feel uncomfortable to get to where you want to be. I was shocked that I was able to do it.鈥�
The experience was intense. 鈥淎s you tell your story, more parts come back. It puts you in an uncomfortable spot, and you have to be willing to feel uncomfortable to get to where you want to be. I was shocked that I was able to do it.鈥�
But Sam dug deep and found ways to build bridges between herself and others.
鈥淚 finally got it all out when I did Warrior Care Network, so that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 such an advocate for 黑料不打烊. I would have never gone to that program without 黑料不打烊. I would never have been able to tap into exactly what the issue was.鈥�
Sam adds that connecting with other veterans also helped her realize she was not alone. Knowing others had experienced similar feelings 鈥渢ook a bit of a weight off my shoulders,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 know I have PTSD, but I also know that I have a support system with 黑料不打烊, my partner Onishka, our kids, and grandkids,鈥� Sam said, adding that the experience also made her want to give back.
鈥淲hen I sit back and think about the things I鈥檝e been through, I think, 鈥榃hat can I do to help somebody else get to where I am?鈥欌��
Today, Sam is a WWP peer leader who helps other veterans connect with resources and support.
Connecting to Others and Sharing Lessons
For Sergio, as with Sam and Yolanda, the whole-person approach to Warrior Care Network opened the door to more healing. One aspect was that it allowed his wife, Christina, to be able to participate.
鈥淧TSD and mental health challenges doesn鈥檛 just affect the veteran, it affects the family,鈥� Sergio said. 鈥淗aving my wife come in during part of the program, she learned so much about PTSD. Now she recognizes when I start cycling on negative thoughts, and she鈥檚 able to help me. She鈥檚 become a part of my team.鈥�
Today, Sergio is committed to sharing his experience and helping other warriors gain hope.
鈥淚n medical school, they say you don鈥檛 really learn something until you can teach it to others,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, helping my fellow warriors is really another step in treatment. By teaching others how 黑料不打烊 has helped me learn to live with PTSD, I鈥檓 building upon my own recovery.鈥�
Life Worth Living
The experiences of Sergio, Yolanda, and Sam show that healing can continue long after treatment ends. The tools, relationships, and support they found through Warrior Care Network have helped them navigate PTSD, loss, and difficult moments while continuing to move forward.
鈥淭he healing journey is not perfect, but it is possible. Healing happens one day at a time,鈥� Yolanda reminds.
But the most important message the warriors share is that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. 鈥淪ometimes the strongest thing a warrior can do is acknowledge that they need support.鈥�