Q & A with Patrick Morrissey of Team Human Potential

talking about his battle with PD to training to row the Pacific Ocean on a quest for a cure and millions of dollars for research 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Hello guys, one is Shaken. This is Tim, the host of your My PDP podcast where we learn about Parkinson's worries and their journeys. Um, we've had some pretty incredible guests on to this point so far. I didn't know how I was going to top it, but listen, I'm gonna talk about this gentleman for a minute before I pan into him. There are not a lot of men in this world that make me cry. Um, the New York Mets, every single time I watch them. Um Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams when he's throwing the ball to his his dad in the end. But I was blessed enough to be invited to the the Fox MVP gala this year. Got my bracelets, got all my fun stuff. Um I watched a 10-minute, and you have to imagine you're filled with a room, a banquet room filled with people that are just bringing awareness and fundraising and doing awesome things. I watched a 10-minute documentary on what this man and his team did. And if you aren't crying in the room, I I don't know, I don't know where you are. Um and I gotta say, you you may have made history. You you actually made me attain something on my bucket list that I didn't know was on my bucket list because I had the pleasure of meeting you and hugging you, and I felt such a positive energy around you. Um after seeing your incredible story, you had to have been meeting you had to have been on my bucket list. And lo and behold, to me, you were 10 feet away from me. So it was so amazing. I mean, the the energy in the room tonight was so crazy. Your story is so inspiring. Um, I mean, listen, I we all do what we can to fundraise. Um, I I've had some tournaments. My latest thing is I'm I'm I'm pushing these what's shaking shirts where you can get you scan on air and get some crazy PD information. Um sales are probably slow because of my ugly mug is on it, but that's all right. We'll we'll figure something else out. But for listen, for me to be in the same room as you, doing what I do and doing what you did, there should be a golden statue of you and your team outside of Fox Foundation headquarters. It's truly amazing. Um Patrick Morsey, Superman, I uh superhero, how are you doing, sir?

SPEAKER_02 2:21

I'm doing great, Tim. I you know, I thank you for the introduction. And um, you know, it it's really crazy of how this has all turned out. And when we started this adventure, I never dreamed of where this was going and how this um was I hoping it reached some people, but where it went was is crazy. And that uh MVP uh weekend was was one of my highlights of the year of all it's been a crazy year, and I can truly say that meeting my peers, you, everybody else, um, it was it was just an incredible weekend. So thanks, Tim, and and uh thank you for having me on this.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

Um I'm honored that you are on. I mean, before we get into this, what you embarked on, I want people to realize the struggles that come with PD sometimes, if you don't know. Before we get into the, like I said, but the trip you went on, tell me a little bit about your diagnosis. When were you diagnosed? What were some of your signs? I mean, did you have any kind of I don't want to say demons, but like I know I I was in a bad place for a while, um, depression, anxiety. Um, tell me a little bit about the background of that so people can understand what's some of the struggles you had on on the trip.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Yeah, so great. Um, thanks for the great question. And it is um everybody has a little different journey, but it's kind of weird when we all talk. There's a lot of similarities, I think, also going through some of these. Um, we always talk about how different it is for each of us, but also um there are so so many similarities. And mine hat started um, I was diagnosed six years ago uh this December. So it's a five and five and a half plus. And uh going into that, um I was happened to be uh uh president of a of a company and running running a lot of um a lot of things and and I was struggling. Um and in some ways leading up to this, about two years into it, I started having some problems processing things. Um I always talk about it now that I understand a little bit my executive functioning, um, trying to um organize things that used to come so simple to me. I still brain fog. Brain fog. Yeah, yeah. And and a little bit of it is as much of brain fog and trying to find your words and and things that were really simple. Um, really trying to do like scheduling and trying to manage people, and that was also a part of it that I was struggling with. Um, so that started happening and it's like, oh, that's kind of weird. And I come home just frustrated on um not being able to perform, tired. Um, I think that's similar to most a lot of people, just exhausted by about three in the afternoon, and everybody's like, ah, that's normal. Uh, this was a little different. Um, I was really uh into exercise and still am, but at that time I couldn't do things that I normally could do. Uh ride my mountain bike in certain areas. I get uh my balance was off. You were a division one wrestler, if I'm not mistaken, right? Endurance was just what's that?

SPEAKER_03 5:52

You were you were a division one wrestler. So you're an you're an athlete.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was division one wrestler in in college, all the way through college, and had a pretty decent career. And and then out of call college, out of uh wrestling. I really got into mountain biking and and biking and hockey and and some ski. Um I skied my whole life, but all those things have balance and endurance, and I was struggling with them and talked to my wife, and she we were both kind of, I was getting close to 50, and we kept on saying, ah, you're just getting older. Yeah, you're just getting older. Well, all of a sudden, um the tremor started in my right arm, and I was like, Oh, what's what's this? You know? Um, and so we kind of pushed it off for a while and finally went to a doctor. And then after about um I had to go through typical, uh took me some time to get diagnosed um because uh I was just younger and I didn't have any any of this in my family, etc. And finally down to the mail clinic, they uh they did a DAP scan and kind of that was kind of the check that checked it off and said, okay, here we go. So um that was the beginning. Um after that, yeah, it was pretty dark, right in the middle of COVID. We were talking about that. Um, and some goods and bads with uh the coming to grips with that during that time. I didn't have to see people, so I didn't have to talk to people and didn't have to explain it and go through that, but also the the the uh you know, we're all by ourselves, you know, everybody's locked down and and um you know my family luckily was here to be able to help me through some of that uh initial time until we went back to work. So that's that's my uh lead up.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

So amazing. I mean, and Phyllison, for anybody who has been living under a rock for the past couple of years and don't know your story, this man with his team, team Human Power Potential, uh kill don't kill me if I get the names wrong, Brendan Cusick, Scott Foreman, and Peter Durso. Yes. Um they they did the world's toughest row for over 2,800 miles in the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii. They raised over 41 million dollars. 41 million. Uh and if you have Parkinson's or if you if you're a caregiver, you know how debilitating this disease could be. Um, the funny part is that I when I'm asked about Parkinson's, it's you know, it's very hard to explain. And I almost describe it like the ocean with the unpredictability, um, the variables, the swells, the the waves, the up and down. You actually took those traits and did it for real. I mean, how does that idea tell us how does that idea come about? I mean, how do you get in touch with the the the Fox Foundation? And what in the world? I mean, it's hard for me to sometimes walk to my fridge. What in the world makes you think that that this is a great idea?

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Yeah, that's you know, it's really kind of how the story happened, it was almost organic. Um, so my uh Brendan Cusick, uh my neighbor, he lives across the street, and we work with for the same company. He live, he works for a different company within the parent company. Um, but we've known each other for years. And he and um his buddy Scott Foreman, um, or our friend now, um, at that time, they did audacious things. They grew up uh climbing big mountains together, doing stuff. And then they they uh um for Scott's 50th birthday, they ran rim to rim to rim on the Grand Canyon. And when they got done, Scott said, What do you want to do for your 50th? And uh Brendan goes, I don't know yet. But um uh and Scott goes, Well, whatever you want to do, I'm in. Well, all of a sudden it started coming up, and Brendan started following this uh this ocean rowing and uh across the Atlantic. They've been doing it over there for about 20 years. And uh, long story short, those two end up getting on a call buying a boat, and uh the the the the the two of them uh started putting together a team. At that time, they happened to have a friend out in California that had some connections um to Parkinson's, and that we ended up getting um a sponsor to help us f or they put together a sponsor, and um the sponsor basically said, Hey, if you guys do this, do you guys want to do it for the uh Parkinsons? And they were both they both had ties to Parkinson's in some some aspects, and their best one of their good friends um um uh has Parkinson's, and so they said, Let me put you in touch with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and as long as you guys work with them and partner with them, I will help you guys through this this race. Um, and that's how that started. Next came myself. So Brandon um started looking for a team, and he just asked me, he knew I had Parkinson's, one of my close friends, um uh that was in the inner loop that understood what I was going through. Asked me kind of just to be as a spokesperson um and just say, hey, uh I know you've got a lot going on in your life and in work. You want and I was like, man, Michael J. Fox Foundation, what you guys are up to. Yeah, I'm all in. Let's yeah, whatever I can do. Well, we'd go to coffee every other week and just talk about it. And then um about two months in, they found Peter and they they didn't have a fourth, and they kept on looking and nothing just it just hadn't evolved. Well, it's about two months into them training, and I was watching through them, and I walked into my wife uh at home one time. I said, What if I called Brendan and what if I did this? You know, and uh she was like she almost kind of like knew it was coming.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

There's no stopping you.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Yes, she did it was like, you're whatever, you know. Um, so I called Brendan and he was like all in. And that's when it took another level of turn when I was able to get on board with Parkinson's with the foundation, and that's when the real uh when we really started putting things together, it's like, oh man, this could this could be big if we can pull this off.

SPEAKER_03 12:45

I gotta tell you, to put things into perspective for for those who don't fully understand what how debilitating Parkinson's could be. I went to a little indoor, like it's called the Demon Busters. I'm not sure if you have any down where you are. Little indoor amusement park. And I have my kids, and this is last week, by the way. I have my kids here, and I'm sitting there and I'm drinking water, and they have this little game where these there's these rowboats, and all you're doing is pressing a ball and pushing air to get them to the end. I'm looking at myself saying, I'm so tired, I don't think I could do that. I don't want to walk over there. What in what in the world? Like, like what kind of tell us briefly about what kind of training goes into the the what you were about to embark on.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Yeah, so the uh how what the row is, it's uh from Monterey, California to Kauai, Hawaii. And um it's 2800 miles. We were a four-person team, it's a part of a race called the World's Toughest Row. And basically it's a self-supported, we have an ocean rowing boat, it's about 28 feet long, and two people row at a time. You can go three up, but basically on our root our routine, two people on, two people off for two hours, 24 hours for the entire crossing. And um, you bring your own food. We had a water maker, the desalinization system, solar, and two cubbies at the end that are about five feet long that you can uh kind of get away from some of the um uh some of the the sea uh or you know uh just environment um when you're off. But that's the basic concept. So it's 24 hours a day, two hours on, two hours off, and it took us 41 days to get there.

SPEAKER_03 14:33

That is unimaginable. I I but now being the person with Parkinson's on that on that boat, like did you think ahead of time? Did you have to sit down with like a uh an MDS or your neurologist? Like, did you have to like we all know how debilitating trying to find that right mix? We were talking about it off off the air of of the concoction of medicine and therapies and diet and sleep. I'm going on for six years and I can't figure it out. You're you're going on this embarkment for over 40 20 how 2800 miles. Did was there any changes you had to make to your diet or medicine? Did you seek out your neurologists before this? I mean, were there any any changes there?

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Yeah, so it was um um about a year and a half buildup um of training, uh full physical training. Um, and so we had a um basically a row coach. Um he's uh um done the races, he's over in Europe. And uh uh he helped us on the physical side of stuff. I did have a nutritionist that also changed my diet um to try to uh be as fish as efficient and as strong as we possibly can through the row and define uh try to figure out what foods I should eat through the row um and what times. And then also I met with my neurologist, and uh we did change up my med schedule. Um so basically I'm on Levadopa, just like most of us. Everybody is and then I I had another uh um permapexerol, as what was the other um drug I was on that kind of helps out with the with the tube, but we increased the dosage and then we determined when I should take them so they they would be on at the right time. So during the training, um all that worked out great. You know, it's like, oh man, we we were out on we got about uh almost 150 hours of ocean training out on the boat through the that year and a half of training. We'd go out. I'm from Colorado. Um, Scott, me and Peter or me and Brendan are Colorado, Scott's from New Mexico, and Peter's up in Idaho, and we'd meet out in uh Southern Cal and um in Ventura and uh row out in the bay um or out in the um off the coast of Ventura for a couple days each month. Um, my tremor would go away. Uh I'd be on. It's just like uh the repetitive motion, everything just was it worked really good. Um well predictable conditions.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Now now the fun starts, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:18

Yeah, yeah. So uh um on the row, it's totally different. Um, and that's just where I wish I would have known now.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

Um that that not to cut you off, but that leads me into my next question. It's a great segue. What issues did you have? I mean, listen, I'm sure there were a million issues, just even if you didn't have Parkinson's that to deal with. Um, but related to Parkinson's, because like I know I need room to stretch, you know, do you have to walk? I mean, you've very limited as far as what you could do, what you could eat, the the space in the boat. So what what obstacles did you have to overcome from a from a Parkinson's standpoint, so to speak?

SPEAKER_02 17:55

So the the main thing that happened is um uh uh the first week we got out there, we got in a big storm. And it was big. Uh the first four days, um 20, 30 foot swales, um, you know, 30-40 knot winds, and I got really seasick. We all did in certain ways, but I uh myself and Peter got really seasick and I couldn't keep my meds down. So I couldn't keep my meds down, I couldn't food down, I couldn't keep anything down. I'd try to get as much in as I could, but um, so we had to really adjust through that situation. And when that happens, as you know, um most of your symptoms come back and um if it's tremors or um what happened to me is my right side is really um uh is where my Parkinson's uh it comes out mostly. And I basically lost most of my movement in my right side.

SPEAKER_03 19:05

You become stiff frozen.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Uh something that had never happened to me. The stress of the situation, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of drugs, and um my right side just kind of stopped moving. So um there was times I rode, I think, three days with just my left arm, you know, as give as much as I could because I couldn't, I had to get up and do my shift because if I didn't do it, my teammates and just put them out of whack and put them in a much bigger situation. So I did what we could. Um, we did end up called uh we had a sat phone and was able to get a hold of my wife. She was able to talk to my uh neurologists to talk about what we could do about drugs and meds. And once I got over my seasickness, we end up increasing my meds and things started working.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

You're holding them down now, yeah. You know, this podcast is not brought to you by dramamine.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's uh we had all the uh methods of trying to keep seasickness down, and it was just big, and you know, I it was bigger than anything we'd ever been in, and it was just crazy. But uh, so uh we were able to basically I end up doubling my meds. Um, but what happened is I didn't have enough meds to double my meds for the entire thoughts. Yeah, and so we ended up uh I did double them for about two weeks, and then I had to start uh go weaning them back down into something, trying to determine when I was going to be done and being able to keep meds all the way to the very end.

SPEAKER_03 20:51

On the fly with nowhere to go, with nowhere to go.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

You can't have anybody bring any back to you. Um, you know, it's self-supported, so you'd be out of the race if if we did. So we had uh I just had to manage that at the at the very end. And and then it took us almost five to six days longer than we expected. And so that ended up being some issues at the very end where I didn't have enough at all.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

But the the one thing I will say is is you know, you speak about your doctors, you know, your family. Listen, for me, uh one of the biggest things for me to to accept my disease was being vulnerable enough to be uncomfortable to go out in public and and not care what people thought about me or or how I looked. Um, but the one thing it's still very hard for me to get over is I don't want to embarrass like my kids or or my family. Like I worry about what other people when you're with other people, how are they gonna view you? Did you I mean it sounds like you had some unbelievable men on this on this cruise with on this boat with you? Did you ever feel like you were letting them down? Because that's how I feel. Like, and I I'm not even remotely close. To doing what you were doing, I'm just talking about life. You know, you feel like you're letting down the people you love. Um, it sounds like you had some unbelievable men with you. Um, I can't stress how important that is and how important caregivers and a family circle is and love is with this disease. Did you ever feel like the moment you were letting them down? I mean, how did they respond to your off periods? I mean, how give me a little brief thing on how that all kind of played out.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Those three men are the most at once questioned what I could do. They stepped up every single time with without any question for me. Um and it was tough on me. It was tough mentally because there were certain times that I just couldn't perform and I didn't really show it on the outside. And but I could get on the phone with my wife, and you talk about other people. She carried that burden with me, which was incredibly tough to be able to have to do, but I I was have to I had to get it out there, but I couldn't get out on the row, they could see things were going on, but I wouldn't verbally talk about it as much. I just get up and do my job and and and get get back in the cab and do my thing. And then I talk with my wife. I didn't really understand how hard it was on her until I got done because she had to to be the one. Um and so incredible support from my teammates, my wife. Uh, I was able to uh talk with some of my family and friends a couple times on on the road. They helped out the PD community. We'd get texts and and um, you know, our social media person would send us stuff every once in a while, put a you know, smile on our face, just give us a little bit of oomph to get to that next day. And it was tough. This has forced me to come out and be very open about this of my condition of Parkinson's, what we've gone through, what we go through. And during the row, there was times I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want everybody to see that I wasn't doing perfect.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

You you were hurting, right?

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Yeah, it took me a while to get out of my first uh pot uh you know podcast and and talk about it or you know release. But um, but it was it it helped. It really did. Once I started and being able to let go.

SPEAKER_03 24:52

Now 41 days later, 2800 miles, 41 million dollars. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hit Hawaii? You're on land? First thing that comes to your mind. My wife and kids. I guess we didn't expect anything less.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

Yeah, I just uh just hold them and and and know we're safe.

SPEAKER_03 25:23

Yeah, and it was truly amazing. Um you know, you talk about support staffs and a lot a lot of people, if they don't know your story, you actually at least the the video that I watched at the the doc at at the gallery was narrated by Michael J. Fox. He actually also sent you an email. And listen, yes, meeting Michael J. Fox for everything. I truly believe I wouldn't be alive without his story. And I mean that. Meeting this man, which is part of what I do, what I do with this, I wear this like a badge of honor. Um I I have to meet this man. I want to shake his hand, I want to thank him for everything that he has done for me. Just like I am, I'm I have the ability to do with you now. What was it like getting that email? Can you tell us a little bit about what it said? And like what was and I know you met him. What was it like meeting him?

SPEAKER_02 26:11

You know, it was surreal. I'm sure I'll just do that because you you you were probably pretty similar on age, just growing up an icon um in just at our earlier ages, let alone where we're at in this relationship with him now and what he has done and um in bringing awareness to this disease. Um he was wonderful, humble, funny, everything you would want in somebody that you look up to. And every time I've talked with him, uh been lucky enough to meet him a couple times and have some real good talk one-on-ones with him. And uh he just amazes me every single time. He's uh um just everything that you want in a person that you look up to.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Right. And listen, I'm I'm waiting for that day because, like I said, it I can't wait to just look him in the eyes and thank him for for honestly for being alive because I truly believe that without his story, he's been battling this so long, it gives you hope. It really does. Um what so now tell me, how do you top what you just did? I mean, are you gonna take a break for a while? Are we gonna stay on land for a little while? I mean, is there is there anything on the horizon for you, or are you just gonna get back to normal life a little bit?

SPEAKER_02 27:37

You know, I think personally I'm gonna get back to normal life a little bit. Uh, I have stepped away from my job and I'm focusing on my Parkinson's health and then Parkinson's awareness. Right. Um, but HPP is moving forward. And so our organization is going to be moving forward doing future audacious events with other PD people and showing trying to help them both uh monetarily and uh with information and knowledge and how to do these things with and without PD to raise awareness for Parkinson's and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

SPEAKER_03 28:23

And you'll be able to find any all that information at humanpowerpotential.org, correct?

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Yes, perfect. Yes. And we're gonna be revamping our website. We're gonna be uh introducing a new uh adventure here within the next couple months. Um, it's on the on the books and uh um and move this forward. So that's my new mission is being a part of this awareness for the future and and maybe not topping what we did, but bringing something long-term, like uh if we can do a little bit of what Michael has done for years and help him continue to bring this awareness uh to another level and find a cure for you for all of us in in our lifetimes.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

I I think we're close, but I mean, listen, thanks to people like you. Uh I'll call you a superhero, I'll call you uh uh an idol. Um you give people like me hope that we're right around the corner. Um what you and your team did was so amazing. Um, before I let you out of here, I always follow what we we do we like to do what's called shaking things up with rapid fire. Four or five quick questions. I'm not gonna say you're alone by yourself on a desert island, but I'll say you're alone in sea. Um what is Pat Morris eating? What's his favorite dish? Uh spaghetti and meatballs. Love it. How about you can only bring one collection of artists? Who are you listening to? Who's your favorite band? Metallica. Oh wow, you're right up my alley. I love it. Um, favorite movie or show? Gladiator. Yeah. And this might be tough for you. Yeah. Because I I always like to ask, you're alone by yourself, who's the one person that you could ask to be on? If you only could take one person with you, I know you have kids, so it's a little tricky. Um, but if you can only take one person with you on that next row, who's it gonna be?

SPEAKER_02 30:23

My wife.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

She's listen.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Yeah, I I don't know if she would do it, but uh it would be uh um it would be great if we could do something epic like that together.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

Behind I always say behind every PD warrior is a rock star caregiver. Um so God bless her. Um listen, I I don't even know what to say to you anymore. Like I said, I said in the beginning, when I met you, there's very few people in my life, actually only two, and the other one was crazy. What was Muhammad Ali that I've met that inspired me. Um watching that video, which the video again was narrated by Michael J. Fox, uh being in that room of of all those people and hearing your story and being able to meet you afterwards and give you a hug and just chit-chat with you for a couple of minutes. Uh people like you make it okay to wear this hat and not be afraid, um, to wear it like a badge of honor, of courage that I do. Um, I used to be afraid to go out and tell my story. Now I can't wait because that's the only way the world's gonna get out. Um you're an absolute superhero. I cannot thank you enough. Um, do you have any closing words for the Parkinson's community before you go?

SPEAKER_02 31:35

Uh just I think all of us stay together, work together, keep bringing awareness, keep moving forward. I love saying that. It's in a different way of we're always trying to keep moving, but also we need to keep moving forward, and we will find a cure for this in our lifetime. I really feel strongly about that. And thank you, Tim, so much for letting me be on this show. Incredible show, you're an incredible person, and together we will uh make things uh happen.

SPEAKER_03 32:09

We absolutely will. So thank you so much for having for coming on. And until next time, keep moving, keep laughing, and keep connecting. Love you guys. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Love you.

SPEAKER_00 32:35

This was not just a race across the ocean. It was a test of endurance, grit, and resiliency. His grand scale ever amplifies the kind of perseverance, required by Parkinson's patience, every day.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

I hope I am an inspiration to the Parkinson's community. They are such an inspiration to me.