Kevin Margolius. Photo by Scott Saltzman.
When Kevin Margolius walked into a Team Fox fundraiser in New Orleans last November, he did not expect that day to change how he viewed his Parkinson’s diagnosis — or his future.
Kevin, a cantor and member of the clergy team at Touro Synagogue, had spent years searching for answers before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 38. At the fundraiser, he was introduced to members of a local early-onset Parkinson’s group, including Nathan Willis, who had recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with Team Fox.
“Nathan walked up, gave me a big hug and said, ‘Welcome to the family,’” said Kevin.
As they spoke, Nathan immediately recognized how Parkinson’s was affecting him — even in ways Kevin had not fully acknowledged himself. Up to that point, he had focused on managing symptoms quietly and appearing “fine.” “I realized the goal is not necessarily to be invisible. It’s great to be healthy, but it’s not bad for people to see these symptoms.”
That conversation completely shifted Kevin’s mindset. Nathan encouraged him to stop waiting to pursue the things he had always wanted to do. At first, Kevin wondered what his own “Kilimanjaro” would be. Then he realized it could actually be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
This summer, Kevin is taking a 90-day sabbatical generously offered by the synagogue — something he had previously never imagined making time for — and building it around long-held dreams and new challenges. He will travel to Japan, spend time in East Africa and, to cap it all off, climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Team Fox in August to raise funds for Parkinson’s research.
The climb has also given Kevin a way to share his diagnosis more broadly. “Being seen, finding community and making something meaningful of this experience with Parkinson’s disease have been some of the key themes that have driven me this year," he said. "This sense of purpose began when I heard others share their stories; joining the Kilimanjaro climb and raising money for Team Fox was a way to begin living the story I wanted for myself and a way to start sharing it.”
The response has been powerful. Kevin has already raised more than $17,000 for Team Fox, far surpassing his original $10,000 goal. Along the way, he has reconnected with former teachers and students, old classmates and friends of friends — including many of the more than 200 bar and bat mitzvah students he has taught over the years. “Donations came from people I have known in so many different times and contexts,” he said. “It has been truly touching to reconnect and to hear a recurring message, whether from my high school science teacher who shared his Parkinson’s experience with me or from the 20-somethings who were once my students: Life is good.”
For Kevin, fundraising for research feels deeply personal. He has already seen how advances in Parkinson’s care have changed treatment for people with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, and he hopes future discoveries will continue changing what is possible. “If a generation from now, people didn’t have to figure out what this means and how to deal with the same challenges — symptoms and management and all the uncertainty about the future — that would be incredible.”
Training for Kilimanjaro has brought Kevin back to endurance exercise, something he loved before Parkinson’s symptoms disrupted his marathon running. While he feels prepared physically, he knows the mountain will present challenges no one can fully control. “There’s weather to deal with, and there’s oxygen to deal with. Those variables you can’t prepare for entirely.”
Still, Kevin is approaching the experience with perspective. “If on summit day my body says ‘not today,’ then getting higher than I’ve ever been and spending that time on that mountain will still be plenty.”
Parkinson’s has also forced Kevin to adapt in his professional life. As a cantor, changes to his voice and stamina have been among the hardest parts of his diagnosis. He has had to learn how to adapt in real time, whether at the guitar, on the piano, or singing in front of a congregation. At the same time, he says it has unexpectedly become “one of the best years” of his life. “I’m spending more time taking care of myself, more time investing in relationships, more time building the life I want to live. Even the harder moments have shown me that adapting to new challenges can be a source of resilience and pride.”
Today, the community Kevin first found through Team Fox has become central to that life. Through fundraising, advocacy, and connection, he hopes to help others feel less alone — just as Nathan once helped him.
“The way people shared their stories publicly changed my life completely,” said Kevin. “As much uncertainty as there is in the future, I have no doubt that I’ll be able to make something out of it. And that I’m going to be okay.”
Inspired by Kevin’s story? Learn more about how you can get involved with Team Fox.