Thank you for supporting the family of John Tracy, my brother-in-law, who passed away on January 28, 2020. Every dollar raised here will go directly to John's wife, Kimberle Tracy & their children.  I am hoping this money will help ease some of the financial burden they are facing as they mourn the loss of their husband & father. 

Anyone who met John knows that his family was the most important thing in the world to him. He was a loving husband of over 20 years to Kim & an incredible father to 2 amazing little girls, Jessica, age 11 & Samantha, age 9. John had a great sense of humor & brightened up any room he was in. He could always be counted on for help whenever you needed it.  

The whole Tracy family is giving & very active in the community. The girls are in 6th and 3rd grade in the Upper Merion School District.  Both Jessica & Samantha are very active in Girl Scouts & Kim is a leader for both Cadette Troop #7157 & Brownie Troop #701. They are always volunteering their time to give back & help those in need, even this past year as they went through the unimaginable…   

John’s fight began in September 2018 with a sudden aortic dissection. Through a 8-hour open heart surgery & no less than a miracle, he survived it against all odds. But the road to recovery was long, including relearning how to walk due to the damage caused by the dissection. Several weeks later, he was finally able to go home with his wife & daughters. The nurses would come to the house daily to change bandages & help with the ongoing therapy. (I think Kim is qualified to be a nurse now too just from being around so many of them!) But John is the strongest man I know & he was determined to recover to be there for his family.

The lack of blood flow during the surgery did permanent damage that he would never recover from. In the following months, John had all of the toes & part of his left foot amputated. He later developed a blood clot in his eye which caused vision changes, but he persevered and moved forward.  He contracted staph, a blood infection, That also required another stay in the the hospital for intravenous antibiotics. Still John was optimistic & fought harder than anyone could fight to get better.

In October 2019, thinking the worst was behind them, John developed a blood clot in his brain. He had emergency brain surgery to remove the clot & was somehow granted another miracle. He survived again. But the road to recovery would be tougher this time. He suffered some cognitive loss as well as more physical trauma.  He spent several months in rehab before he was able to return home with his family. But he made it home just in time for the holidays in December.  

Things seemed to be settling down and John seemed to be on the road to recovery, until this past Sunday morning when Kim awoke to find John unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital but there was nothing that could be done. He had developed 3 brain bleeds, one in the brain stem & there was no detectable brain activity. He died on Tuesday surrounded by his family & loved ones.

John’s strength in spirit was undeniable. He said he drew his strength from his girls because he wanted to be there for them & watch them grow up. He wanted to be at their graduations, their first dates, their weddings & all the other important events a girl wants her dad there for. He was their provider & their rock. He would not have wanted to leave his family with the insurmountable amount of medical bills they are now facing. (But I know they would have given anything to have him around even a little longer.) Each surgery he endured cost more than I could have ever imagined & more than they can afford… but having him alive this past year was priceless.

Even the smallest contribution will help Kim & their girls. Thank you for all your donations, thoughts & prayers. I know it means a lot to see all the love & support they have behind them. 

#girldad