Why peer supportisn't just a nice idea.

I didn't start this because of a study. I started it because I'd just lived it.

When I came out of bypass surgery, what I wanted more than anything wasn't another pamphlet or another diagram. I wanted to talk to someone who'd already walked the road I was on — someone a few weeks ahead who could say "yeah, that happened to me too, and here's what came next." I couldn't find that person. So I decided to become it.

I built this channel and guide on instinct. I just knew it would help, because I knew exactly how alone it felt.

A randomized controlled trial of 185 men recovering from bypass surgery found that those who received regular peer support — contact with someone who'd been through it — had fewer emergency-room and doctor visits in the first 12 weeks of recovery than those who didn't.¹

The researchers were careful: peer support wasn't a cure-all, and it didn't erase the emotional lows. But the core idea held up — having someone ahead of you on the path makes the recovery measurably easier to navigate.

That's all this is. I'm three weeks ahead of you. I made it. I'm turning around to light the path.

— Kyle

1. Colella TJF, King-Shier K. The effect of a peer support intervention on early recovery outcomes in men recovering from coronary bypass surgery: a randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2018;17(5):408–417. doi.org/10.1177/1474515117725521