In Memory of Dan: Support for Tracy and Family

Story

March 7, 2025, will be a day that forever changed the lives of the loved ones of Daniel Joseph Pierce, best known as Dan. At 2 am that morning, Dan, 63, took his final breath, leaving behind his wife, Tracy, and their 4 children, Cory, Brittany, Callie, and Brooke, and his 4 grandchildren, Charlie, Raiden, Clementine, and Emily, with grandbaby #5 coming this June. On January 26th, Dan was taken to the hospital with difficulty breathing. What we had hoped would only be a day stay turned into the longest 40 days any single one of us could have imagined. As the days went on, it seemed like more was constantly being thrown at him. When things started to seem bright and on the up, the following day it would all come tumbling down with a new diagnosis. Maybe we were naïve and choosing to not hear the inevitable; maybe it truly did just happen this fast. I think we're all still trying to understand. Moved from room to room, floor to floor, test after test, CT and chest scans, to ultrasounds, it seemed like we were constantly being told something new was wrong with him. Pneumonia, fluid in the lungs, blood clot near the heart, mass on the pancreas, it was never-ending. He went from being able to walk to not even being able to sit up on his own or raise his own arm to bring his food tray closer, let alone cut his own pancake. He dropped weight rapidly, and with that, all strength. He could no longer eat on his own, relying on a feeding tube. It got so bad that they could no longer do blood work because of internal bleeding they couldn't place, and his skin was so sensitive that the slightest touch caused bruising and bleeding. They couldn't do anything about the mass on his pancreas, as any sort of testing or biopsy would be far too intense on his frail body. He eventually started to lose the ability to speak, slurred words, incoherent sentences, eventually only being able to get a few words and phrases out, "help," "ouch," "stop," and our personal favorite, "I love you too." His team of doctors asked the family to meet with them together on Wednesday, March 6th, 2025, at 10 am. At this point, he was only communicating with eye blinks and grunts, and the occasional "help." This was when we learned what we had all been dreading, that Dan, a husband, father, grandfather, and friend, was moving on. We were explained that hospice/end-of-life care was basically the only option at this point; his health had done nothing but decline. We were told "he could no longer fight." With that, the oxygen was (figuratively) sucked out of the room. Little did we know, a mere 16 hours later, his fight would end. My parents didn't have life insurance or any savings. Dad was disabled and survived off Social Security. Coupled with Mom's small income from the homecare work she does for her 82-year-old mother, they were living paycheck to paycheck, well below comfortable means. Together, Tracy and Dan have legal custody of two of their grandchildren, Charlie, 10, and her sister Emily, 2. They have always made do and got by with very little. However, with loss comes a never-ending stream of worries and uncertainties, primarily financial at this point. Dan was the rock of this family. He supported absolutely every single one of his kids and grandkids with no judgment in his heart. He was a loving husband and was always his wife's biggest fan. We no longer have our rock; we no longer have our Dan. We have been quoted anywhere from $11,000 to $14,500+ for cremation and a small basic service. On top of that, there are bills that will still be coming in on a monthly basis that will need to be covered as usual. I'm starting small, as I have no expectations from this, and will increase as time goes on. I'm hoping to meet at least the bare minimum for cremation with your help.