Scott and Cheri Badley need our help.

“When it rains, it pours.” It’s a truism we’ve repeated so often, it’s nearly lost its meaning. For Scott and Cheri Badley, however, it’s been the state of their lives since 2018, when Scott’s mom, Linda, passed away. Having stepped into her medical care, her death and the wave of medical bills which followed devastated Scott and Cheri. Before they could process their grief, Scott’s youngest brother, Jeremy, became ill and needed constant care. His was a long, slow illness that eventually claimed his life in 2021. After several years of caring for others, Scott and Cheri found themselves deep in debt and struggling to make ends meet.

My name is J. Patrick Lemarr, and I’ve known Scott since high school. He’s a man of integrity. A man who takes care of others to his own detriment. A man who, along with his devoted and compassionate wife, stepped into his family’s needs and stood by them when everyone else ran the other way. He’s done the same for me and others…a true first responder when our lives were upside down.

After Jeremy’s death, Scott and Cheri shared an apartment with Scott’s younger brother, Brandon. It was an effort to conserve resources while they slowly paid down all the debts they had accumulated while practically living out of the hospital. It was working. They were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope, once a distant thing, seemed poised to return. But then…

Monday night, March 25th, 2024, Brandon Badley didn’t return from work. He didn’t answer his phone, either. Scott and Cheri grew concerned. It wasn’t like Brandon to make them worry. Cheri stayed at home in case he called, while Scott drove to Minute Maid park, where Brandon had been working. He found Brandon deceased, slumped over in his car. It was sudden. It was awful. This unforeseen darkness has left two wonderful people adrift, just as they were starting to see the sun.

You see, Brandon’s name was on the apartment lease. He cosigned for their car—his attempt to help after all they did for Jeremy. It isn’t just the loss of a brother or a brother-in-law. It’s also the loss of their one source of help. They must now grapple with their grief while worrying about how to survive the next month. It’s an extra burden in an already heavy time of sorrow.

Scott and Cheri need our help.

Like you, I have little to offer. These are financially trying times for many of us. I’m not asking for any one person to step into this need and fix it. I’m asking us to come together with whatever we can offer. To forego a latte or a lunch date and let Scott and Cheri know they aren’t alone. To use whatever donation you can spare to let them know their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

I know Scott and Cheri would survive this nightmare without us, but I don’t believe they should have to. They’ve been more than generous with their time, their money, and their compassion. It’s our turn now. To share a bit of grace in a time of great need. To step into their sorrow and say, “We see you’re hurting, and we’re here for you.”

Scott and Cheri need our help.

How will you respond?

NOTE: Funds raised will got to Scott and Cheri for help with rent, car payments, etc. as they figure out next steps during this time of grief and financial crisis.