“Make sure when you write our story that Jesus gets the glory,” Katti Lindley told me, her voice trembling with emotion. In Haleyville, Alabama, she has been facing one of the greatest challenges a family can endure while holding tightly to faith.
Katti spoke about her husband, Jonathan, and their two young children, Hayes, seven, and Rush, four. Their lives have been marked by joy, love, and now the heavy shadow of ALS, a disease that threatens to change everything.
They were high school sweethearts, their bond forged long before life tested them in such a profound way. “Jonathan moved to Haleyville in the eighth grade,” Katti recalled, “we share the same birthdays — August 11th, 1988 — and graduated together in 2007.”
Jonathan had always been kind and dependable, someone who drew people in with warmth and generosity. “He will give anyone the shirt off his back,” Katti said, “and he’s the best daddy ever,” a sentiment echoed by everyone who knows him.
After high school, Jonathan asked Katti on a date, and they married in 2014, building a life together full of love, laughter, and devotion. His career at Alabama Power as a transmission lineman put him high in the sky, working in rain and darkness to keep others safe.
Then, in October 2023, their lives were turned upside down. Jonathan, at only 35 years old, was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that would progressively weaken his body and take a toll on their family.
Doctors initially gave him two to five years to live, a prognosis that hung over them with terrifying uncertainty. But now, two-and-a-half years later, Jonathan continues to fight, walking and talking even as his upper extremities weaken and his speech becomes slurred.
“I’m just trying to keep going,” Jonathan shared quietly. “I’m taking my life day by day,” a mindset that has allowed him to face each moment with courage and determination.
Katti and Jonathan have shielded Hayes and Rush from the full weight of the diagnosis. Their children see love, laughter, and hope, not the fear that has shadowed the adults’ hearts.
“We feel blessed the ALS is progressing very slowly,” Katti explained. “We know God is with us,” a faith that sustains them through uncertainty, treatments, and travel.
The Lindleys have sought treatment across the globe, including two stem cell transplants in Mexico and one in Chicago. Come March 26th, they plan to travel to South Florida for a promising new therapy, each journey carrying both anxiety and hope.
Jonathan credits his children and his wife with his continued strength. “Katti and our children are the reason I’m fighting so hard,” he said, his voice soft but determined, reflecting the love that fuels his fight.
Katti, too, leans on faith, finding solace and purpose in every prayer. “God is going to play a part in our future,” she whispered, her eyes glistening with tears, a reminder of the spiritual grounding that guides them through each challenge.
“Katti and I were made for each other,” Jonathan said. “God made Jonathan for me,” she added, emphasizing the unbreakable bond that sustains their family through fear, uncertainty, and disease.
Every day for the Lindleys is a combination of careful hope, measured steps, and steadfast faith. They face treatments, travel, and the unknown with a belief that love and prayer can make a difference.
Katti’s devotion is palpable, her tears reflecting both sorrow and unwavering commitment. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep him here,” she said, holding onto the man she loves and the family they have built together.
Even in moments of exhaustion, uncertainty, and pain, the Lindleys show resilience. Their story is not just about illness, but about hope, faith, and the extraordinary strength of a family bound by love.
They remind everyone around them that life’s hardest battles can be fought with courage, prayer, and unity. Jonathan’s fight against ALS is a testament to the human spirit, a lesson in perseverance for all who witness it.
The Lindleys’ journey continues, each day a mixture of fear and hope, treatment and prayer, challenges met with faith. Through it all, their bond, their love, and their children remain the reason to keep fighting.
Jonathan, Katti, Hayes, and Rush show us what it means to live fully in the face of life’s hardest trials. Their story illuminates that even in the darkest times, faith and love can guide a family forward.
They ask for prayers and support, not for pity, but for strength, hope, and the shared belief that miracles are possible when faith, family, and love intersect.
Jonathan’s life, Katti’s devotion, and the innocence of their children form a narrative that inspires, teaches resilience, and reminds us that even against ALS, hope can endure.