Burkhead Family Face Illness with Dignity

Help the Burkhead Family Close Their Business and Face Terminal Illness with Dignity

Goal: $50,000

We are reaching out during a heartbreaking and challenging time for our family. What started as a dream quickly turned into a devastating journey, and we now find ourselves needing your support to help us close a chapter we never expected would end this way.

In December of 2023, our family—Bill, Jen, and our three high-school-aged kids—poured our hopes and energy into building a small family business: Billy J’s Smash N’ Fries. After months of planning and groundwork, we officially launched in May 2024, bringing our passion for good food and community to life.

The summer of 2024 brought a promising start. We quickly established day-to-day operations, built a loyal customer base, and booked events. It was everything we hoped for.

But just as our dream was beginning to flourish, life dealt us an unimaginable blow. In August 2024, Bill was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer in the lower left lung. Despite the diagnosis, we scaled back operations and were able to continue to run the food truck two days a week. In October, Bill underwent radiation in the hope of slowing the disease.

Unfortunately, by April 2025, things had taken a grave turn. Scans revealed nine additional tumors in his abdomen and lung. Bill’s physical and mental capacity declined rapidly. He is no longer a candidate for surgery, and his medical team has shifted to a palliative care approach, focusing on comfort through immunotherapy and chemotherapy and likely EOL.

With Bill no longer able to work and the emotional and physical toll overwhelming our family, we made the heartbreaking decision to permanently close Billy J’s Smash N’ Fries in May 2025.

Now, we are left facing the enormous cost of dissolving the business, repaying loans and business debt, and managing Bill’s mounting medical expenses—all while trying to prepare for what lies ahead.

We are humbly asking for your help. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to:

Bill is a devoted husband, a loving father to our three children, and a fighter. We want to give him the peace of mind in this battle that his family will be okay and that we can move forward without the crushing weight of financial strain.

Any donation, no matter the size, makes a difference. If you’re unable to give, sharing this campaign means the world to us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for standing with us.

With love and gratitude,

Jen, Bill, and the Burkhead Family