5,000 Miles for a Cure: Human Powered Potential Announces "Second Wave" Row to Raise Funds to End Parkinson's Disease

HPP's 'Second Wave' Team Kicks Off Training for Record-Setting Next Row

SANFORD, Fla., April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- During Parkinson's Awareness Month, a team of female athletes is kicking off training to take on a record-breaking +5,000-mile row down the Mississippi, around Florida, and up the Atlantic Coast to raise funds as part of Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising community of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The "Second Wave" row kicks off Human Powered Potential's new slate of bold imagination-capturing athletic endeavors led by individuals living with Parkinson's disease to raise awareness and funds for a cure.

In 2024, Human Powered Potential's original team completed a 2,800-mile row on the American Spirit—raising $43 million for The Michael J. Fox Foundation and becoming the first four-man American team to complete the mid-Pacific, as a part of the World's Toughest Row-Pacific. One of the original crew, Patrick Morrissey, became the first person diagnosed with Parkinson's to complete the Pacific route.

"During our Pacific row, every 30-foot wave, every hour of seasickness, and every dose of medication I couldn't keep down, I know helped advance the work of The Michael J. Fox Foundation," said Patrick Morrissey, who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease at age 48 and serves as a member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Patient Council. "I truly believe we'll find a cure for Parkinson's in my lifetime. And whether it's climbing peaks, cycling continents, or rowing oceans, adventures like this move us one step forward to a cure and show the world what is possible when we push our limits."

HPP's Second Wave team is captained by Orlando-based master's rower Ashley Ellis, a mom of three who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease at age 40. The Second Wave includes six female athletes training to row the Great American Loop in 2027 on board the American Spirit—a boat that has carried multiple teams to world records. The team's mission is to raise funds for a cure and inspire those living with Parkinson's to keep moving, as research shows exercise can slow disease progression. If Ellis and her Second Wave team are successful, they will become the first all-women's team to row this route—and Ellis will be the first to do so as a person living with Parkinson's.

"Through leading this incredible team of women, I am joining the fight against Parkinson's—for myself, for others living with this disease today, and for the future—with hopes for slowing progression, finding a cure, and stopping Parkinson's for good," said Ellis. "If I can help transform grief into hope for one person, even in a small way, then every oar stroke through the water will be worth it."

Parkinson's is the world's fastest-growing neurological disorder. The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's doubled from 1990 to 2015 to over six million, a number that is projected to double again by 2040. Research increasingly shows that exercise helps slow the progression of the disease, and the Second Wave team's row will also spread awareness of movement as medicine and encourage people to keep moving.

The Great American Loop is typically a motorized travel route, and the Second Wave team will navigate heavily trafficked shipping lanes and the ocean-like swells of the Great Lakes. Their boat is equipped with two small sleeping cabins, and the team will row in shifts—two hours on, two hours off, 24/7—for several months. A ground support vehicle will follow on land to help support crew swaps.

Along their route, the Second Wave will connect with communities, inspiring solidarity, exercise, and hope for those living with Parkinson's, and the families, friends, and advocates who stand beside them, all while raising funds for Team Fox. As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today.

About Human Powered Potential (HPP)

Human Powered Potential (HPP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates bold, imagination-capturing athletic endeavors led by individuals living with Parkinson's Disease. 100% of every stroke, stride, or mile forward supports The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). Launched in 2024, Team HPP completed a record-breaking, 41-day journey from California to Hawaii, raising $43 million for MJFF, and crew member Patrick Morrissey became the first person with Parkinson's to row the Pacific. HPP is launching a new slate of endurance events featuring athletes living with Parkinson's disease—to raise funds for a cure and to help show the world what's possible when we keep moving forward and challenge our limits. Visit www.humanpoweredpotential.org and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Strava, and YouTube to learn more.

About Team Fox

Team Fox is the grassroots community fundraising program of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Since 2006, Team Fox members worldwide have been turning their passions and interests into opportunities to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's research. Every penny donated by Team Fox members goes straight to the Foundation's high-impact research programs to help speed a cure. For more information, visit: teamfox.org.

CONTACT:
Leah Duran, [email protected]

SOURCE Human Powered Potential