How This Man Became the First Person With Parkinson's to Row Across the Pacific
A few years after Patrick Morrissey, 53, learned he had early onset Parkinson's disease, a group of friends came to him with a challenge he couldn't resist: rowing across 2,800 miles of open ocean. Below, he explains the steps he took to go from his diagnosis to completing the World's Toughest Row – all while raising millions for a good cause.
Growing up, I was an athlete. I played many sports and was a Division 1 wrestler in college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After I got married and had kids, I found a new passion for mountain biking and hockey.
In my mid 40s, I slowly started to notice something was wrong with my body. Out of nowhere, I felt exhausted during my bike rides and couldn’t finish my regular routes. I also started struggling with balance issues. I would turn my head and fall over. I would miss the puck playing hockey. At work, I struggled with putting things in order and organising. I would become very tired during the day. I had just become the president of a company, and all of this impacted my ability to manage people, schedules, and presentations. I chalked it up to getting older. By this time, I was getting close to 50 and accepted it was part of the life change.
Parkinson's Diagnosis
That is, until one day in 2018 when I got a tremor in my right forearm. I watched it for a couple weeks and finally showed my wife when it wouldn’t go away. I went to the doctor to see what was going on.
After the tremor moved down into my hand, I went to the Mayo Clinic. I went back two to three times for tests and check-ins, because I was much younger than the typical Parkinson’s patient (most are diagnosed at age 60) and had no family history. After undergoing a DaTscan (dopamine transporter scan), I was officially diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s on December 10, 2019. I was 48 years old.
From there, my doctor said two things that have stuck with me: go find the best movement specialist that specialises in Parkinson’s, and work out every day for the rest of your life.
I continued to be active, adding in weight training and, more cautiously, riding my bike. I did not take any medication for the first two years, but I became more tired. I now take two different Parkinson’s medications that have helped with energy and minimising tremors.
Taking the Plunge
Brendan Cusick, Peter Durso, and Scott Forman had decided to participate in the World’s Toughest Row, a 2,800-mile open-ocean row across the Pacific Ocean from Monterrey, California to Hawaii. They decided to partner with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), and asked me to be a spokesperson for their team and journey.
I had not yet opened up to many people about my diagnosis. It was almost like I was hiding my Parkinson’s. I thought this would be a good way to share my story.
The guys started training in California, and they were still looking for a fourth teammate. The idea came to my mind: what if I joined? Although I had never rowed before, I knew I could do it. After talking to Brendan, we decided that I would be their fourth teammate. Our team name was Human Powered Potential.
Training to Row the Pacific
I started training. I purchased a rowing machine, and as a team we hired an ocean rowing coach named Angus Collins (who holds five ocean rowing records), as well as Gus Barton, our strength and conditioning coach. Both were instrumental in everything we did.
Gus put us on an app called TrueCoach, and he gave us workouts every day for almost a year and a half. We would have to turn in our workouts to make sure we were accountable to each other. An average day consisted of approximately 2 hours of either specialized strength training, rowing or an alternative aerobic exercise. Every 6 weeks we had a test to check our progression. We were all very committed.
Although I didn’t have the same power as my teammates, I was improving as I trained. Once a month we got out on the boat, and I was able to keep my coordination with them. During training, when I rowed, my tremors would go away. I credit it to being rhythmic and just getting in a meditative zone. It’s very calming.
Leaving Dry Land Behind
We began the World’s Toughest Row race on June 8, 2024. We rowed for 24 hours a day – two men on, two men off in two-hour shifts. We did not have an easy start: we ran into a big storm with 30+ foot waves and 40-50 mph winds. It was terrifying. Peter and I got seasick, so we were having trouble staying on the oars. But we worked together as a team to get through it.
As we rowed, some of my Parkinson's symptoms (tremors and loss of coordination) began to come back due to the physical and mental stress. We hadn’t encountered this during the training sessions, but the guys helped take over when I needed extra rest.
To fuel ourselves, we ate between 4,000-5,000 calories each day. With Parkinson's, protein can negatively interact with medication. I’d worked with a nutritionist to tailor a nutrition strategy for myself, and focused on a higher-carbohydrate diet.
We had a desalination system on the boat to make fresh water out of the salt water. Hydration was key, and we drank a combination of water and electrolytes. We didn’t have much time to sleep – but we aimed for at least an hour of sleep during each ‘off’ time.
Challenge Completed
After 41 days, on July 26 we arrived in Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii. We had an initial fundraising goal of $1.2 million for MJFF – which we surpassed for a total of over $41 million thanks to a 3:1 donor match. Over 28,000 people donated. This experience brought Parkinson’s awareness to so many people.
I continue to row at home and move my body. I have to keep my brain and my body working to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s as much as I can. Our team, Human Powered Potential, is looking for our next challenge. The potential of the human body is incredible. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. You don’t have to row an ocean – you can do smaller things. But keep being active.
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