This past weekend, on Saturday, Feb. 5, JohnE McCray suffered a life-threatening myocardial infarction (heart attack) while leading the Barnett Park Championships in Orlando, Fla.
Later that night, after chest compressions failed and defibrillators were used to jumpstart his heart, McCray would have emergency surgery in which three stents were put in place.
Immediately following the operation, McCray was heavily sedated and placed on a ventilator to aid breathing. Thankfully, by Sunday, McCray’s breathing had progressed to the point where doctors were able to dial back his sedation and transition him from a ventilator to nasal oxygen.
JohnE’s heart had stopped beating for four long minutes …
This was an extremely serious episode.
Though JohnE appears to be headed in the right direction, the road to recovery will be a lengthy one. His doctors estimate he’ll need a minimum of three to six months to recover from the attack and surgery before competing again. He’ll be required to take daily medication to keep things in check. His heart will also need regular monitoring over the course of the next year.
This is where things get even trickier than they already are …
The McCrays do not have health insurance. The incoming medical bills will be expensive.
Fortunately, the disc golf community is a strong one – and JohnE’s a valued member.
Please keep @JohnEMcCrayTour in your thoughts and prayers. From what I understand he started having chest pains today in a tournament. He’s had surgery and is in the icu. That’s all the info I’ve gathered from his wife’s posts on Facebook.
— zach melton (@zachmelton87) February 6, 2022
We love you Johne 🙏🏻
After talking internally, the McCray family felt the most efficient way to go about accepting monetary donations would be either directly through Venmo or PayPal or the “donate” button on JohnE’s touring website. The button, however, will take you to McCray’s PayPal account.
The details you’ll need to donate:
- Venmo: @JEM15
- PayPal: [email protected]
- Website: JohnE McCray Tour
* Note – If you submit a donation via PayPal, please select the “Friends and Family” option.
If you don’t have a PayPal account and would like to donate, click here to learn how to set one up. Likewise, if you don’t have a Venmo account, but would prefer to go that route, this source will get you the information you need. Either way, account setup will only take a few minutes.
Finally, do keep in mind how spiritual JohnE and Jennifer McCray are. If you’re unable to donate or you make a donation and would like to do more, consider Jen’s call for all “prayer warriors.” Thoughts. Prayers. Even comments on JohnE’s official Facebook page are welcome.
Oh, yeah – remember that tournament at Barnett Park that was nearly JohnE’s last?
In true McCray fashion, the dude’s taken it down 11 times over the course of 19 years.
With the help of skilled medical professionals and the support of the game to which he’s dedicated his life, he’ll be back around this time next year to make it 12 victories in 20.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
