First Descents

First Descents is a proven low-cost, non-medical healthcare intervention with a vision to become the global leader in adventure-based healing. To do so, FD is committed to the following three strategic priorities:

Expand Programs
With more than 640,000 young adult cancer survivors in the U.S., First Descents will expand programs to improve survivorship and quality of life. Further, FD will continue to broaden its mission to serve other affected populations including young adults coping with multiple sclerosis, caregivers, and healthcare workers. Program expansion may also require the eventual purchase of sites to enable greater autonomy over lodging.

Build Community
Young adults coping with health conditions often experience feelings of isolation and alienation. FD will strengthen local adventure communities and nurture supportive peer relationships that provide ongoing healing. These efforts include the development of new lifestyle offerings designed to promote healthy behavior changes, including outdoor recreation, nutrition, and mindfulness.

Prescribe Adventure
Hospitals often lack age-appropriate psychosocial survivorship programs for young adults. FD will build upon its network of healthcare professionals to reach more young adults earlier in the treatment process.This engagement will deepen relationships within the healthcare system and allow First Descents to reach more participants from Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Beginning in 2022, FD will partner with Latinas Contra Cancer, Escape AYA, Tigerlily Foundation, Navajo Nation and Fort Defiance Indian Hospital, and other health leaders serving these communities.

In order to become the global leader in adventure-based healing, First Descents will expand its partnerships with leading medical centers to ensure the organization's services are included in the care planning process for young adult patients.

In 2018, First Descents launched Prescribe Adventure to partner with leading hospitals and local community health centers to reach young adult patients earlier in the treatment process. To-date, FD has established partnerships with more than 500 medical centers and over 1,000 providers nationwide, thereby strengthening the ability to work directly with patient care teams. The intended effect of this outreach campaign is to serve more young adults of diverse backgrounds, build communities that reflect the cultural interests and values of participants, and address the substantial gap between treatment and psychosocial services for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. This includes building custom partnerships with national and local advocacy organizations.

First Descents will invest $1.9M in direct programming to advance its key strategic priorities, deliver 45 programs, and serve more than 575 participants nationwide in 2023. FD’s innovative approach works at the community level to align medical centers, outdoor outfitters, and funding partners to execute effective programs removed from the hospital setting. This model keeps donor funds local, improves community health, and invests in local organizations - specifically hospitals and outdoor guide companies. With a vast network of professional outdoor guides and highly trained field staff, FD can execute programs of varying duration in close proximity to treatment centers nationwide.

First Descents' programs address the gap in psychosocial support for young adults diagnosed with a serious illness, and their surrounding networks of care. Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are defined by the age parameters of 18 to 39 in order to discern the unique developmental and clinical challenges that a diagnosis poses to this population.


According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 85,000 AYAs diagnosed with cancer each year. Unlike the improvements seen in pediatric and older adult oncology, survival rates for cancer in young adults have not made significant changes in recent decades.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease of young adults. Data from the National MS Society indicates there are approximately 1,000,000 people living with MS in the U.S. with approximately 10,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Typically, MS is diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with a median age of diagnosis at 34. In addition to the complexities of clinical treatments and lifestyle implications, the relapsing and progressive nature of MS can be daunting, and can result in significant distress.

Unique from pediatric or older adult populations, young adults often experience lifelong challenges that disrupt important developmental milestones. Caught at a pivotal time in their lives - establishing independence, building a career, starting a family, and pursuing financial stability - young adults are redirected to prioritize treatment in order to preserve physical health. These prime years of cultivating identity and security are quickly jeopardized by physical side effects, emotional distress, social stigma, and medical bills for years beyond treatment. The disruptive nature of a diagnosis can increase the risk of caregiver strain, fertility loss, physical and cognitive ability, employment status, and bankruptcy. These negative impacts are rarely addressed in clinical care, despite their ability to result in episodes of depression, anxiety, and isolation, and increased risk of prescription drug dependence, substance abuse, and suicide.

Since 2001, First Descents has served more than 10,150 young adult survivors at over 1,100 programs nationwide to provide ongoing psychosocial supportive care. Furthermore, FD has established relationships with more than 560 medical centers to reach patients closer to the time of diagnosis.