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His Daughter Was Diagnosed with a Fatal Disease. Now He’s Taking Disabled Kids on Epic Adventures | INDIE ALASKA

A man stands in front of a green valley with his daughter in a hiking backpack
Dan Redfield smiles at the camera with his daughter Ava in a hiking backpack. Image courtesy of Dan Redfield.

Dan Redfield and his wife Kristen Frederic were excited, first-time parents when they had their daughter, Ava. As a young couple with a love for the outdoors, they started taking their daughter on adventures. When Ava was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, a rare, genetic, fatal disease, taking Ava outside became more challenging.

As a professional filmmaker, Dan recognized the importance of his home videos and photos with his family. This inspired him to start a nonprofit called Adventure for Ava, where he takes Alaska families with disabled children on adventures and captures the photographs and videos of the day.

To learn more about Adventure for Ava, visit the website here: https://www.avasstory.org/

Video and story by Valerie Kern
Additional photos and videos provided by Dan Redfield
Music by Universal Production Music and Starship Amazing

Valerie Lake worked at Alaska Public Media from 2017 to 2025. She was the managing producer for Indie Alaska, director for Alaska Insight, and led the video production team. Valerie Lake has previously gone by the names, Valerie Lloyd and Valerie Kern.