Born and raised in New Jersey, Karen Applebaum (left) lives in Lambertville with her wife of 16 years, Melissa (right), and their rescue dog, Athena.
When Karen Applebaum first noticed a tremor in her left hand seven years ago, Parkinson’s disease was nowhere on her radar. At 40 years old, after trying chiropractic and acupuncture treatments for several months, she went to see a neurologist. Within minutes, she received a diagnosis that would change her life: early-onset Parkinson’s disease. “I knew nothing about Parkinson’s disease,” said Karen. “Honestly, it wasn’t even on my radar as a possibility.”
Today, Karen is 47 and, in her words, is “moving through life alongside Parkinson’s.”
Karen’s fundraising journey with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) began unexpectedly — by accident, in fact. One summer morning in 2023, she saw a Facebook challenge to walk or run 50 miles in August and raise funds for Parkinson’s research. She accidentally added the challenge to her feed and fell back asleep. When she woke up an hour later, she already had nearly $100 in donations and a repost from a colleague.
“In that moment, I realized the power of sharing my story to help raise money for a cure,” Karen said. “As someone living with Parkinson’s, seeing friends, family, strangers and my community rally around this cause has inspired me to keep going every year, and raise as much as I can for MJFF.”
What began as a 50-mile challenge quickly grew into something much bigger. Karen ultimately completed 75 miles and raised $12,500 for MJFF. She was especially moved by the support that came from every corner of her life — family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even strangers who had heard her story through reposts and shared connections.
“Facebook is a great tool for getting your story out there and connecting to people that you do not see face-to-face on a regular basis,” Karen said. “Some of the biggest donors to my fundraising page were friends of friends. The power of reposting was definitely the catalyst for the amount I raised.”
For the final three miles of her challenge, Karen turned her fundraiser into a community event. Her friend Ryan’s stepmother, Margaret Fuller, had recently passed away and lived with Parkinson’s. To honor Margaret, Karen organized a walk from Lambertville, New Jersey, across the Delaware River into New Hope, Pennsylvania, ending at a local restaurant for brunch. More than 50 family members, colleagues and friends joined Karen to walk for a cure.
That experience helped set the stage for what came next. After attending MVP in New York City in 2023, Karen was so motivated by the energy and connection of the weekend that she decided to build on her fundraising efforts — adding a drag show and turning her summer fundraiser into a two-event weekend.
Since then, Karen’s efforts have continued to grow. She now organizes four events each year: a brewery night in April, a pickleball event in June, a drag show in July and the walk in August. As of 2025, Karen has raised $151,000 for Parkinson’s research — and she has set an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 in 2026.
What started with one accidental Facebook post has become a year-round movement powered by community, creativity and determination. For Karen, the lesson is clear: you do not have to start with a perfect plan. You just have to start — and invite others in.
“Everything surprised me,” Karen says of her first fundraiser. “I was humbled by the words of support from so many people from every part of my life.”
Today, that same support continues to carry Karen’s mission forward: one walk, one repost, one event and one community at a time.
Get involved with the July 31-mile Outdoor Fundraising Challenge on Facebook.