#BullingtonsBattle against ALS

Harry Bullington, III or “Jay Jay” as everyone calls him, is a young 47-year-old dedicated husband, proud father, eldest son, big brother, Christ follower, and warm friend to many. He has been married to wife Cherie for 24 years, and together they share two school-aged children, Madison and Jamison. They live in Goochland County, VA where which Jay Jay built a successful fencing construction company. The Bullington’s led a busy life serving fence customers, coaching community sports, attending church functions, and many other civic activities. Their busy life came crashing to a halt in 2021, when Jay Jay was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); to make matters more complex, he was also diagnosed with a chronic Lyme disease co-infection.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurological disease that primarily affects the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time, attacking a person's ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. Currently, there is no cure for ALS and no effective treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease. The average lifespan is 2 to 5 years from onset of symptoms.

Ticks transmit Lyme disease; currently there is no true treatment for Lyme disease. The goal is to make the Lyme go dormant and strengthen the immune system so it is strong enough to keep the Lyme at bay and to avoid aggravating the ALS symptomology. Because chronic Lyme is so difficult to treat, many doctors refuse to provide help. Thankfully, Jay Jay found a specialist medical clinic in Florida willing to help him even in context to his concurrent ALS diagnosis. Insurance nor Medicare will not cover these expenses so the treatments had to be paid out-of-pocket.

Initially, Jay Jay’s symptoms were non-specific and varied. As time went on, his speech began to slur, breathing labored, and using his arms became a challenge. Now, only one year later, he cannot speak or swallow, breathing is assisted, and his arms have become devoid of any voluntary motor control. Communication and self-care are both real and serious challenges for Jay Jay; his loving wife Cherie is now adding fulltime caretaker to her other roles of wife and mother. Jay Jay is effectively trapped in his own body – unable to speak or move his arms. Jay Jay is a fighter and is continuing to fight to live so he can continue to be present in the lives of his loving family and friends. Jay Jay has placed his faith in the hands of his Lord and personal savior Jesus Christ, and knows by way of His truth that the will of the Lord will be done on earth as in heaven.

While the disease has robbed Jay Jay of human abilities for which we all take for granted, it has also robbed him and his family of financial security now and into the foreseeable future. Due to Jay Jay’s ALS, he can no longer work and has shuttered his fencing business after 23 years; he was the sole provider for the household. In addition, all savings, insurance, investments, and assets for which the Jay Jay and his wife were blessed to have accumulated were used along with credit facilities to defray costs of care and emerging treatment protocols. Jay Jay receives a small disability income for which the family uses to survive. The bills have piled up, creditors are demanding payment; simply stated: Jay Jay’s ALS diagnosis and disease progression will soon lead to bankruptcy and potential loss of the family home, adding another stress on top of an already traumatized family. Further, expensive accessibility remodeling will need to be completed on the family home to ensure Jay Jay can continue to receive care in a familiar setting.

Jay Jay’s brother Daniel is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of and with permission from Jay Jay and Cherie. With your help, Jay Jay can continue to battle both ALS and Lyme, his wife can continue to care for both him and their children in the home for which the family is comfortable. All proceeds from this Go Fund Me campaign will go directly to Jay Jay's family to defray living expenses, cost of care, accessibility remodeling outlays, and expenses of emerging treatments. If you’re not able to donate, sharing this link with friends, family, all social media will be greatly appreciated.