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

Human Powered Potential Team Kicks Off Training During Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Orlando Mom Living With Parkinson’s Will Captain Team on Record-Breaking Row

SANFORD, Fla. (April 18, 2026) — 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. Captained by Orlando-based master’s rower Ashley Ellis, who lives with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, Human Powered Potential’s (HPP) “Second Wave” team includes six female athletes training to row the Great American Loop in 2027 on board theAmerican Spirit—a boat that has carried multiple rowing teams to world records.

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.

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. In addition to the endurance feat, 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.

Media are invited to capture the team’s on-water training and interview the athletes about their mission to prove that curing Parkinson’s is just a matter of time—and endurance.

WHAT: Interview availability and filming opportunity to capture row training. Get a behind-the-scenes look at coaching, training, and gear requirements during training rows on the water with the American Spirit boat.

WHEN: Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026

WHERE:

Saturday, April 18
8 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET
Begin at Boat Tree Marina, 4370 Carraway Pl., Sanford, FL 32771
Row to Hontoon Island: Options for takeoff at the Boat Tree Marina and to follow in pontoon boat

Sunday, April 19
8 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET
Begin at Hontoon Island, 2309 River Ridge Rd. 32720, DeLand, FL
Row to Boat Tree Marina: Option for takeoff from Hontoon Island

WHO: AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: 

• Ashley Ellis, captain of HPP’s Second Wave crew and mom of three, rowing with early-onset Parkinson’s disease.
• Andrea Vigil, a Second Wave crew member, mountain climber, and Orlando Rowing Club member who joined to support her friend Ashley.
• Maureen Twohig, a Second Wave crew member and former scholarship collegiate rower and Atlantic 10 champion, rowing with her sister Megan and in support of their mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
• Megan Laughlin, a Second Wave crew member, physical therapist, and caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019. She is rowing with her sister Maureen in support of their mother.
• Becky Watt, a Second Wave team member, Ashley’s cousin, and lifelong rower who is rowing in the spirit of her late father.
• Elizabeth Hall, a Rollins College rowing alumna who returned to the sport to find a community of extraordinary women.
• Brendan Cusick, captain of the HPP’s First Wave crew and a coach/advisor of the Second Wave team

OTHER: Photos and video (b-roll) available

INQUIRIES: To request an interview, email Leah Duran, press@humanpoweredpotential.org.

Visit www.humanpoweredpotential.org or follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Strava, and YouTube) to learn more, donate to the cause, and follow our row.

About Human Powered Potential
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.