First Descents

First Descents is a charitable non-profit organization that gives a free outdoor adventure experience trip to young adults who are fighting cancer.[5] Brad Ludden, a professional kayaker, founded First Descents in 2001 at age 20.[6]

First Descents
Founded2001
FounderBrad Ludden
TypePublic charity non-profit organization
FocusYoung adult cancer
Outdoor adventure sports[1]
Location
  • Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Area served
United States, Costa Rica, Peru, Vietnam, Patagonia, and Bali[2]
ProductOutdoor adventures for cancer fighters
Key people
Ryan O'Donoghue, Executive Director
Revenue
$1,906,780 (2012)[3]
Employees
11-50[1]
WebsiteFirstDescents.org
Brad Ludden on the 4,000 Islands section of the Mekong river in Laos
As a child growing up in Kalispell, Mont., Brad Ludden waited all year for summer. That's when his beloved aunt Lori flew up from Phoenix to join his family in kayaking expeditions and on camping trips at nearby Glacier National Park. But those carefree days suddenly came to a halt when Lori was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. She underwent a double mastectomy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, while Brad, then 12, and his family watched in disbelief. . . . Inspired by his aunt's successful battle, in 2001 Ludden launched First Descents, a nonprofit that provides a free, weeklong outdoor adventure for small groups of young adults fighting cancer.

— People magazine
June 27, 2011[4]

"The program, designed for those 18 or older, is a weeklong camp that offers participants a chance to share what they are going through and then tackle another scary obstacle — running rapids in a kayak," the New York Times wrote about First Descents.[7]

First Descent recruited a number of successful businesspeople to serve on the board of directors. Joel Appel, an entrepreneur who co-founded Orange Glo International which he sold for $325 million, sits on the board. Pete Worley, president of Teva and Simple Brands; and two former Google executives, Eva Ho and Jennifer Feiken, also sit on the board.[6]

How it works

Before an adventure experience trip, staff members create unique goals for each participant. During the trip, participants attempt to meet their goals through participation in complete specific outdoor challenges. The challenges can include climbing, paddling, and surfing.[8] For example, participants have paddled Class 2 rapids on the Colorado River.[7]

Participants receive food, lodging, and activities free of charge. First Descents gives travel scholarships to participants who need them.[8]

An onsite medical staff, including an oncologist, is present on all trips.[7]

Brad Ludden
Main article: Brad Ludden

"Brad Ludden is a world-class whitewater kayaker," CNN wrote in 2012. He has kayaked in over 40 countries.[9] He does what is known as a "first descent", meaning to successfully paddle over a river or section of a river that has never been done by anyone before.[10] As of 2012, Ludden had completed over 100 first descents.[9]

In 2007, Ludden turned over the running of the excursions to experienced staff members. The 19th installment of First Descents, which took place on the Colorado River in 2007, was the first expedition that Ludden didn't run.[7]

Participation

In 2011, First Descents offered 27 outdoor programs. Two hundred eighty-three people participated. In 2012, the number of outdoor programs grew to 45. The number of participants grew to 515.[3]

In 2013, First Descents ran programs in 12 states and 3 countries. Over 515 cancer patients participated in 2012. The current wait list is 1,000 people.[11]

Out Living It documentary

First Descents founder Brad Ludden approached a filmmaker named Michael Brown,[lower-alpha 1] a three-time Emmy award winner and friend of Ludden's who specialized in documenting outdoor expeditions. After hearing about Ludden's organization, Brown agreed to direct a documentary about Ludden's adventure experiences with cancer survivors.[13]

First Descents launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the documentary, and by April 2012 raised $21,507 from 142 people.[14]

For one week, Ludden and 14 other young adult cancer survivors spend a week together in the outdoors. They go on physical adventures including kayaking through white water rapids and rock climbing. Brown filmed the adventures and interviewed the participants. In the video trailer, during a clip of a rock climbing scene, one man can be heard saying, "Trust is a great thing to have. Especially among people who have similar problems."[15]

The film was released on April 14, 2012.[12]

Notes
  1. Director Michael Brown has personally completed over 50 expeditions covering all seven continents, filming all of them. He is the founder of a filmmaking school called Outside Adventure Film School.[12]
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Articles

Op-eds

Social profiles

Videos

References
  1. "First Descents - LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  2. "Programs - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. "2012 Year in Review" (PDF). First Descents. Denver, Colorado. 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  4. Benet, Lorenzo (27 June 2011). "A Journey in Healing". People (Volume 75, Number 25). Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  5. "Outdoor Adventure for Cancer Fighters - FIRST DESCENTS.ORG". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  6. Badenhausen, Kurt (19 October 2011). "First Descents: Cancer Camp For Young Adults". Forbes. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  7. "Running Rapids in the Fight Against Cancer". The New York Times. 19 August 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  8. "Who We Are - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  9. Angley, Natalie (24 July 2012). "Extreme kayaker helps young adults with cancer through outdoor adventures". CNN. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  10. "Board of Directors - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  11. "Key Numbers & Annual Reports - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  12. "Out Living It (2012) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  13. "Remarks by Michael Brown in Kickstarter introductory video". Kickstarter. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2014. When I found out about my friend Brad Ludden's organization, and that he was bringing cancer survivors into the wilderness for wilderness therapy in a setting where diagnosis didn't matter--chemotherapy wasn't the main topic of conversation--and since that time, we've been working on this film. So much has gone so well.
  14. McKee, Kim (20 April 2012). ""Out Living It" by Kim McKee". Kickstarter. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  15. "Out Living It Documentary - First Descents". First Descents. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
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