Here at A Fresh Chapter, we see first-hand how stepping beyond your comfort zone can help you reclaim your passion for life and expand your story beyond cancer. Whether international or domestic, A Fresh Chapter programs are open to adults of all ages and always blend volunteering with meaningful travel as a way to help heal the emotional scars of cancer. We’re in the midst of planning for our 2017 programs – and will have some exciting updates for you soon – but today we want to highlight a few adventure programs offering support to young adults impacted by cancer. 

True North Treks

True North Treks helps teens & young adults with cancer find direction through connection after the very dis-connecting experience cancer can bring. They fulfill their mission through implementing unique and supportive healthcare programs and services in their week long backpacking and canoeing treks, mini treks, micro treks, and long term survivorship support.

Young Adult Cancer Canada

The Retreat Yourself Adventure 2015 crew checks out the Lookout Trail near Woody Point, NL.

Canada is huge, and when you’re one of just 7,000 young Canadians diagnosed with cancer each year, it can be hard to find peers around your age who truly understand what you’re dealing with. Young Adult Cancer Canada’s (YACC) Retreat Yourself, Retreat Yourself Adventure, and Survivor Conference programs offer opportunities for young adults affected by cancer to connect with others at a similar stage of life while feeling supported and empowered to live and love life. They know it can be intimidating to commit to four days of confronting your cancer in a way you may not have done before with a bunch of people you haven’t met before, but the excitement of getting to an area you may not otherwise see helps soften the leap and appeals to a group that may have limited travel opportunities due to health, mobility, and financial challenges.

First Descents

First Descents offers young adult cancer fighters and survivors a free outdoor adventure experience designed to empower them to climb, paddle and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same. During the First Descents experience, young adult survivors and fighters are empowered through conquering legitimate outdoor challenges to push their limits and face their fears, and by doing so, they are able to regain the confidence and self-efficacy lost to cancer.

Survive and Thrive

Mike and Bonnie Lang

In 2008, Mike Lang was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage 3 just 5 months after he and his wife, Bonnie, were married. Although they anticipated that life wouldn’t be the same, they never expected their life to be so altered by his diagnosis, and in the midst of processing everything Mike realized that he needed to engage with his cancer experience so that he could learn from it and live through it. So together with Bonnie, Mike came up with the idea of Survive & Thrive Cancer Programs. The first Survive & Thrive Kayaking Expedition was held in July 2009 and that trip was turned into the documentary film, Wrong Way to Hope: An Inspiring Story of Young Adults and Cancer. Since 2009, Mike and Bonnie have lead many wilderness expeditions as well as facilitated or spoke at hundreds of retreats, conferences and support group events with young adult cancer survivors.

Athletes For Cancer

Athletes For Cancer harnesses the healing power of the elements with the determination of the human spirit to benefit lives impacted by cancer. Camp Koru is their adventure retreat program that empowers young cancer fighters and survivors, ages 18-39, to find healing, achievement, and life renewal through active outdoor experiences in the ocean and the mountains. Koru retreats include surfing in Maui, skiing and snowboarding in Oregon, and This is Life skill building workshop weekends.

Stay tuned for our next post with more on our recent site visits to Peru and Costa Rica and the opportunity to lend your voice in deciding where our 2017 programs will launch. Whether you’re a patient, survivor, or caregiver, we’re happy to have you in our tribe. If you’re new to A Fresh Chapter, sign up here to be the first to know about our upcoming domestic and international programs: Become A Participant.