JohnE McCray was dead for 4 minutes.
This Zephyrhills resident and professional disc golf champion was out on the course on Feb. 5, even doing well at the Barnett Park Championships, in Orlando, but was in pain.
“I was warming up and just got this intense pain in my left arm,” the 50-year-old said. “Which I thought was weird because I throw with my right arm. … Through 10 holes, a local player came up to me and said,‘You’re already winning,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I feel like I’m dying!’”
McCray wasn’t too far off. The pain kept getting worse and after 11 holes, he sought out a doctor player in the group ahead of him. The doctor took one look at him and called an ambulance. Less than an hour later, he was at hospital and those attending him were getting a crash cart. He needed surgery right away and the medical staff told his wife, Jennifer McCray, this is your last chance to speak with him before surgery to put in three stents.
“The last thing I told him was, ‘You better fight. It’s time to fight,’” said his wife, who is also his disc golf caddie. “There I am, by myself, waiting for him at the hospital, not knowing if he could die. It was very traumatic.
“The whole (incident) was definitely on God’s timing.The doctor on the course, as well as a registered nurse, to get an ambulance there, with me running red lights following it — it all could’ve all gone differently.”
JohnE also had an automated internal cardiac defibrillator (AICD) inserted into his upper left chest. The state-of-the-art device is essentially a pacemaker with the ability to recognize abnormally fast cardiac rhythm and provide an immediate shock treatment. Once installed, JohnE was restricted in what he could do, as the device needed to set for 90 days.
He has been medically cleared to resume disc golf activities, which include throwing and building up his endurance through evening walks.
“I definitely feel better than I did months ago,” JohnE said recently. “Getting stronger and stronger every day, and working on getting back on the course.”
It definitely won’t be much longer before JohnE’s back out there. He’s already set to play in early July, as he trains on equipment from his sponsors in his backyard.
“(This is) absolutely a comeback. My husband is a fighter,” Jennifer said. “We’re a disc golf family, and his fans are always asking for updates and very supportive. I want him back (on the course). It’s his passion, it’s our passion, and I’m not sure what we’d do without disc golf.”
This wasn’t even the first time JohnE almost died.
He used to lay ceramic tile for a living, playing disc golf on the side. But about eight years ago, he contracted Lyme Disease, which burst into his blood stream and nearly killed him.
“I was in the hospital for two weeks,” he recalled.“I was in there longer for Lyme than I was for a heart attack!”
Not much later, JohnE went on the Professional Disc Golf Association Tour (PDGA) full time. In fact, he, Jennifer, their daughter and four cats decided to travel on tour, jumping in a RV and going from event to event. That’s when his play caught the eye of his major sponsor, Latitude 64, a disc golf manufacturer and store based out of Sweden.
“That was an amazing time,” Jennifer said.“ We met on the disc golf course, so I’ve always played, too, but just traveling around from course to course was amazing.”
JohnE picked up disc golf when he was a soccer player attending Saint Leo University, during the mid-1990s.
He’s had incredible success on the PDGA, where he’s won 13 times, including two majors, his first in 2016 and another, a Masters title, in 2018.
In fact, he kicked off this season in January by winning the 2021 Florida Disc Golf Championship, which was held at the course on Picnic Island Park in South Tampa. JohnE shot a course record 15 under, with a prize of $345.
So after months of being basically immobile and feeling weak, JohnE is ready for his prizefighter- style comeback.
“Definitely got some big plans (to get back on tour),” he added. “When (the heart attack happened), it was Saturday afternoon, and I woke up on Monday, but thought it was still Saturday. I’m like,‘Am I still going to be able to play tomorrow?’ and Jen was like, ‘Um, I don’t think so!’
“So, yeah, I’m really ready to get back out there on the course.”
Professional Disc Golf Association
The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is the governing body of professional disc golfers. Disc golf is played much like golf, though players use a flying disc instead of clubs or a ball. The sport was formalized in the 1970s and, like golf, players complete each hole in the fewest strokes or, in this case, throws. A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target, which is the “hole,” i.e., an elevated metal basket. Players must make consecutive throws from the spot where the previous throw landed. Once the “putt” lands in the bas- ket, the hole is completed.
INFO: Visit PDGA.com, and to learn more about JohnE McCray, visit JohnEMcCrayTour.com/johne or his Facebook page at Facebook.com/johnemccraytour.
To join the group to follow along on JohnE’s heart health and professional comeback, visit Facebook.com/groups/5001282929963039.
Published on June 8, 2022.
