Maryland Trail Runner, Dog Lover Haley Zullo Takes On Rare Disease With Community Behind Her

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A healthy, active Maryland woman known for running trails, rescuing dogs, and working a demanding construction job is now fighting a rare disease that changed her life in an instant, leaving loved ones pleading for help as she faces a long road ahead.

Haley Zullo was diagnosed in September with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, an autoimmune disease that affects 1 to 2 people per million in the United States, according to loved ones.

The organizers of a GoFundMe set up for Zullo wrote that “her immune system is failing her and it will continue to do so for the rest of her life.”

The diagnosis followed what Carver Zullo described as “a life-threatening emergency and three-week stay at Johns Hopkins, with the very, very best care available.”

He said that Zullo “was able to finally return home,” adding that it was “truly life-threatening and scary as hell!”

Once “active, adventurous, and healthy,” loved ones say Zullo was “an avid runner, hiker, and nature enthusiast,” but the disease “has robbed her of that…for now!!”

Haley Zullo

GoFundMe

She can no longer work her full-time job in carpentry and project management as she adjusts to a lifelong medical condition that requires ongoing treatment, follow-up care, and wound care supplies.

Friends and family are now reaching out to the community for support.

Haley Zullo

GoFundMe

In a separate post, Barbara Esmonde wrote that Haley is “a young, healthy, active and hard-working woman whose life was changed overnight.”

“She damn near lost her life,” she added. “And that is not an exaggeration.”

The fundraiser is aimed at helping cover hospital bills, at-home care, follow-up appointments, and the growing list of medical needs that come with a disease the organizer says Haley will live with for the rest of her life.

Haley Zullo

GoFundMe

Organizers wrote that “good mental health helps healing physically; knowing some expenses will be covered will help in the healing process and allow Haley to focus her energy where it matters most right now—getting better.”

The family also highlighted Haley’s care for her blind rescue Husky, Mouse, whom she and her partner James fostered before adopting him permanently.

Haley Zullo

GoFundMe

“Haley and James rescued Mouse, and now they have a blind Husky. You can’t make that up!” Esmonde added that James “has been instrumental in keeping Haley alive and safe.”

The fundraiser can be found here.

And in a message that has become a rallying cry for those stepping up to support her, Esmonde wrote, “Let’s pay it forward for Haley!”