Brad Ludden

At the age of 13, Brad’s parents told him he could do anything he wanted with his life. He took it literally and did the thing he loved the most–whitewater kayaking. By 18 he was living his dream; he had signed on as Nike’s first sponsored whitewater kayaker, was on the cover of Outside Magazine, traveling the globe in search of first descents on remote rivers, and filming with the largest production companies in the outdoor industry. Despite all of his success, something was missing. Brad felt he needed to find a way to share the bounty of positive effects whitewater kayaking had had on his life by giving the gift of outdoor adventure to others who needed it more. He settled on young adults with cancer after watching his Aunt fight the disease a few years earlier and First Descents was born. Thirteen years later, First Descents–an organization that provides free outdoor adventure therapy to young adults with cancer–has helped over 2,000 young adults live beyond their disease by providing them free multi-day adventure experiences.