Women Row 5,000 Miles for Parkinson's Cure

A mom of three with Parkinson's disease will captain the first all-female team to row 5,000 miles around America, following a crew that raised $43 million for research by rowing across the Pacific.

Ashley Ellis was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's at age 40. Now she's leading the "Second Wave" team to row the Great American Loop down the Mississippi River, around Florida, and up the Atlantic Coast in 2027.

The Orlando-based master's rower kicked off training this month with five other female athletes. They'll row in two-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, for several months aboard the American Spirit, a boat that has carried multiple teams to world records.

Ellis's team follows Human Powered Potential's groundbreaking 2024 journey. That original four-man crew became the first American team to row 2,800 miles across the mid-Pacific, with Patrick Morrissey becoming the first person with Parkinson's to complete the Pacific route.

Morrissey, diagnosed at 48, serves on The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Patient Council. "Every 30-foot wave, every hour of seasickness, and every dose of medication I couldn't keep down helped advance the work of The Michael J. Fox Foundation," he said.

Why This Inspires

Over six million people worldwide now live with Parkinson's, double the number from 1990. That number is projected to double again by 2040, making it the world's fastest-growing neurological disorder.

Research increasingly shows exercise can slow disease progression. The Second Wave team will spread this message at communities along their route, encouraging people with Parkinson's to keep moving.

Ellis sees every oar stroke as both medicine and mission. "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," she said.

The team will navigate heavily trafficked shipping lanes and ocean-like swells while a ground support vehicle follows on land. All funds raised go directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research.

Through Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising community, every dollar supports high-impact research for a cure and improved therapies. Morrissey believes they'll find that cure in his lifetime: "Adventures like this move us one step forward to a cure and show the world what is possible when we push our limits."