I still remember the first time I heard about the Andes flight disaster survivors - the story seemed almost too incredible to be true. As someone who's studied survival psychology for over a decade, I've come to realize that what happened with that Uruguayan rugby team reveals fundamental truths about human resilience that most people never get to see. The numbers 23-13, 50-34, 67-54, and 85-66 aren't just random figures - they represent the gradual winnowing down of survivors through different phases of the ordeal, each number telling a story of human endurance that still gives me chills.
When that Fairchild FH-227D crashed into the Andes on October 13, 1972, there were 45 people onboard. The initial impact killed 12 immediately, leaving 33 survivors in those first brutal hours. But here's what most people don't understand - the real challenge wasn't the crash itself, but what came after. By the time rescue finally arrived 72 days later, only 16 remained. Those numbers - 23-13, 50-34, 67-54, 85-66 - they represent something profound about how humans adapt to extreme circumstances. The first number in each pair shows the survivors at different checkpoints, while the second reveals how many were still physically and mentally capable of making decisions.
What fascinates me most isn't just that they survived, but how they organized themselves. These weren't survival experts - they were rugby players and their friends, mostly young men in their teens and twenties. Yet they instinctively created systems that kept them alive. They melted snow for water using metal from the seats, fashioned sleeping bags from insulation, and most controversially - they made the impossible decision to consume the flesh of their dead friends. I've had people tell me they could never do that, but honestly, when you're facing certain death, the rules change completely. Their religious faith actually helped them rationalize this decision - they saw it as communion rather than cannibalism.
The physical challenges were staggering. At that altitude, the human body burns calories at an incredible rate just to maintain basic functions. They were dealing with temperatures that regularly dropped to -30°C at night, yet they had no proper cold-weather gear. Avalanches buried them not once but multiple times, each event claiming more lives. The number progression shows this brutal attrition - from 33 after the initial crash to 27 after the first avalanche, then gradually down to 16. What's remarkable is how their social structure held up despite these repeated traumas. They maintained shifts for various duties, held regular meetings to make collective decisions, and somehow preserved their humanity in the most inhumane conditions.
Their rescue story reads like something from a Hollywood script, except it's all true. When two of the fittest survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, decided to hike out after 62 days, they were essentially walking to their probable deaths. Nobody in their right mind would attempt to cross the Andes with no mountaineering equipment, wearing multiple layers of civilian clothes, and in weakened physical condition. But they did it anyway - walking for 10 days across 38 miles of some of the most treacherous terrain on Earth. I've spoken with mountaineering experts who still can't believe they managed this feat. When they finally encountered Chilean arriero Sergio Catalán, they had to throw a note across a river because their voices were too weak to shout across the rushing water.
What stays with me after all these years studying this case is how ordinary people became extraordinary through circumstance. These weren't superheroes - they were regular people who discovered depths of resilience they never knew they possessed. The social dynamics they developed, the way they maintained hope when all evidence suggested they should despair, the incredible physical endurance - it all points to something fundamental about human nature. We're built to survive, but more importantly, we're built to survive together. Their story proves that in extreme situations, social cohesion might be even more important than physical strength or survival skills.
Looking at those numbers again - 23-13, 50-34, 67-54, 85-66 - I see more than statistics. I see the gradual transformation of scared survivors into a cohesive unit that defied all odds. The final rescue on December 23, 1972, came just in time - many were within days of dying from starvation and exposure. Yet every single one of the 16 survivors went on to live productive lives, many becoming doctors, businessmen, and public speakers. They proved that even the most traumatic experiences can become sources of strength rather than permanent damage. In my professional opinion, their story remains the single most important case study in survival psychology - not because of the dramatic circumstances, but because of what it teaches us about the human capacity to endure, adapt, and ultimately triumph.
People in Motion (PiM) is our employee advocacy and improvement program. These cross-functional groups are comprised of employees, with an executive sponsor, who contribute ideas and drive action towards focused areas of improvement across the employee experience. The groups include: Kyruus Kontext & Business Readiness; Community, Connectivity, & Engagement; System, Tools, & Productivity; IDEA [Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility].
As a remote-first company, we are invested in employees creating a work setup that allows them to do their best work. In addition to a laptop, we also provide you with $750 to get the additional equipment you need and add an ongoing amount of $1,200 to your salary to cover remote work costs.
We value ownership at Kyruus Health, not only in the work you do but in the shared financial success from our growth. Employees will have the opportunity to grow their equity ownership throughout their tenure.
We care about creating the time you need to bond for any team members at Kyruus Health growing their families. We offer 8 weeks of fully paid leave to all parents. Birthing parents are also eligible for additional time and coverage through our Short-Term Disability plan.
We encourage all employees to save for retirement through our 401(K) plan. Employees have the option to begin contributing to their accounts on their first day of employment and we offer an employer match of up to $1,500 per calendar year for all employees who enroll.
We offer employees a lifestyle stipend of $2,000 per year to help them be well. This is designed for Kyruus Health to offset the cost for items, experiences, or home expenses that enhance team members’ well-being
We want to provide employees and families with health insurance offerings to support them getting the care they need. Our health, dental, and vision plans are desiged to allow employees the opportunity to choose options that work best for themselves and their families.
We are committed to flexibility and empowering employees to do work that matters in a way that works for them. Our unlimited PTO policy is anchored on that flexibility – encouraging employees to take time off for what’s important to them, in addition to the many company holidays we celebrate. To highlight our commitment to a healthy work-life balance, we provide a specific stipend each quarter for employees to use on a recharge day.
