It was a clear and breezy Thursday morning at Elings Park when the founders of Your Next Adventure, John and Heidi McMahon, looked on with great pleasure as several individuals affected by cancer soared over the hills overlooking Hendry’s Beach. Crowds of family and friends gathered and watched in awe as the nine brightly colored paragliders flew down the ocean side of Elings Park after a rigorous morning of training led by Eagle Paragliding instructors.
Your Next Adventure was inspired by a family friend of the McMahons, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and developed a passion for rock climbing, a challenge that helped her cope with the illness, face her fears, and become empowered in other areas of life. With this friend’s journey in mind, John and Heidi decided to start an organization that would allow people affected by cancer to participate, completely free of charge, in extreme sports like paragliding, tandem paragliding, and rock climbing.
The nonprofit organization gives adults affected by cancer the chance to face a challenge of their choosing, with the hope that confidence gained through extreme sports will translate to more difficult aspects of life. Teaming up with some of the most respected instructors and guides, the two have spent much of their free time in the last year creating Your Next Adventure. On May 12, the group paired up with Eagle Paragliding to host its first-ever event.