Finding Steady Ground in Small Steps

Peer support is powerful because it meets people in the moments when asking for help feels hardest. Many of the people I work with have learned not to expect much from others. It can feel easier to stay quiet, to say you are fine even when you are not. My role is to show, through small and consistent actions, that someone genuinely cares and will keep showing up.

That is how my work with someone I will call Sam began.

When I was first matched with him, I called and left messages but did not hear back. Another team member had tried too, and even though Sam had once said it was okay to check in again, he was not responding. I knew opening up can take time. About two weeks later, I was out doing unscheduled home visits and realized I was near his adult family home.

Adult family homes support people who have medical needs, behavioral health conditions, or challenges that make living independently difficult. They provide daily structure and support. In this case, we at firsthand served as an additional layer of support, helping with the parts that fall between the lines and often feel too overwhelming to manage alone.

I decided to stop by. He opened the door and agreed to talk. We went over what firsthand’s services could look like, and he asked me to come back in two weeks. When I did, he signed the consent forms to begin services. That small yes opened the door to everything that followed.

Building Connection Through Presence

As we began meeting regularly, usually once a month on the back deck, I could see how much he was carrying. He talked about worries, frustrations, and the things that felt confusing or heavy. I listened without judgment. I stayed curious and let him lead.

Over time, those steady check-ins became grounding for him. Showing up when I said I would, keeping him informed, and helping with the pieces he could not manage alone created a sense of safety that helped us move forward.

Supporting His Back Pain With Persistence

One of the biggest things weighing on Sam was chronic back pain from spondylosis. It affected everything. He had tried for a long time to find chronic pain treatment, but every attempt ran into the same barriers: long waiting lists, clinics not taking his insurance, no openings.

I took on the early legwork. I made call after call, tracked the dead ends, and shared updates so he always knew where things stood. That consistency helped relieve the burden he had been carrying alone.

Eventually, we found a clinic willing to see him. It was far, so one of our other team members, Joseph, or I drove him and waited during his appointments. Having one of us stay with him through the process became another point of connection and support. As things became more manageable, he got himself set up with physical therapy and an MRI. Slowly, he began to feel relief. He spent less time isolated in his room. He walked more. His daily functioning improved.

His goal was simple. He wanted to be able to go for walks and look at nature. Helping him move toward that goal became a steady thread in our work together.

Uncovering a Hidden Health Need

One of our integrated care team partners is Navi, a Family Nurse Practitioner who joined firsthand after years in long term care, the emergency room, and community health. She is thoughtful and steady, and often talks about how much she learns from working alongside peer support.

Because Sam felt comfortable with me, he welcomed Navi too. That mattered when his health suddenly shifted.

At one point, Sam was hospitalized with blood clots that moved from his legs to his lungs. When he returned home, Navi reviewed his discharge paperwork. That was when we realized his blood sugar was incredibly high. We had asked before if he had diabetes, and he said it was not an issue, but this was something he needed help understanding.

The hospital had started him on medication, but there were no instructions in the discharge packet about monitoring his blood sugar. The adult family home had not received guidance, and Sam had no insight that he needed to track it.

Navi stepped in to make sure he got the support he needed. She worked with the adult family home to begin daily blood sugar checks and coordinated with his Primary Care Provider to update medications and resolve coverage problems.

Over time, his A1C dropped from a dangerous 10.5 to 7.6, which is more manageable.

As his numbers came down, he shared them proudly with me each week. At one point he said, “I am in recovery for something I did not even know was wrong with me.” Seeing those numbers shift helped him feel real control and confidence.

Moving Toward What Matters Most

As his diabetes came under control and his back pain improved, Sam had more space to focus on what brought him joy. He continued physical therapy and felt a difference. He still has pain, but it no longer keeps him in his room. He moves with more ease. He is more connected.

Our relationship changed too. He went from barely responding to reaching out to me if he has not heard from me by midweek, checking to make sure I am okay. There is real mutual care now.

These pieces, emotional connection, support for his pain, and attention to his diabetes, all worked together to help him take meaningful steps toward independence.

The Path Ahead

Sam is not all the way to where he wants to be yet, but he is moving forward with more stability, understanding, and confidence. He knows he can reach out, and he knows he has a team behind him that believes in him as he builds the life he wants, one small step at a time.

This is why I do this work. Because sometimes, simply showing up is what makes everything else possible.