Danny McCraw's Medical and funeral expense fund

On Christmas 2020, Danny was rushed to the emergency room for severe abdominal pain. After many exams and tests, it was determined that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He remained hospitalized for about a week and was then sent home to be cared for by his children and extended family. Chemotherapy treatments began almost immediately in Georgetown, Texas. Both of his children, Elliot and Mia, moved into their family home and cared for him daily. Danny showed visible improvement by February and the oncologist was positive about the reduction in tumor size. Throughout the spring and early summer his activity levels, appetite, and mood gave everyone great hope. Due to this the oncologist changed up the chemotherapy protocol from a longstanding method that was impacting his white blood cell count to a immunotherapy/biologic method that is preferred by the AMA that would “be easier on his system”. Improvements were continued to be seen through June and July while he was cycled from one treatment protocol onto the other. Come August, the situation took a downturn. Danny was readmitted to the hospital again for abdominal pain, swelling and edema. After a battery of CT scans and MRIs, metastases were discovered on his brain and his liver functions were compromised due to the difficult nature of the chemo treatments. Controlling his pain at this point became the prime area of focus.

On what no one thought would be his last day, all of his immediate family found themselves together in his hospital room at the same time and shared their love with him: sister Kathy, brother in-law Bill, son Elliot, daughter Mia, ex-wife Cherrie, and nephew David. On September 7th at approximately 11:04pm Danny L McCraw moved on, just 17 days before his 69th Birthday.

Since the beginning of 2021 he experienced 4 trips to the ER, being admitted to the hospital each time. He experienced 9 months of regular doctor visits with continuing monthly treatments of Chemotherapy. During this time medical bills were growing. This Go Fund Me was originally started by his children as a way to help finance his ongoing treatments with the hopes that he would eventually recover. Though, after his passing it has become a memorial fund to protect his legacy from the medical debt incurred during his battle with cancer. Any small donation you could make would go a long way to cover the costs we will face in the coming months. Please share this with anyone in the community that may have known him. We would love to visit with his past friends.

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Danny Lloyd McCraw, son of David and Hilda, was born in New Port News, Virginia on September 24, 1952. In the 60's his family moved to Friendswood, just outside of Houston where his father worked for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. There he grew up surfing the Texas coast, attending all of the great concerts, and riding in motocross trials. As the son and grandson of very mechanically inclined men he started working on cars at an early age. By the age of 19 he was already working at a Porsche dealership. During his off time he focused on his love for billiards and rock climbing. He was climbing Enchanted Rock while it was still privately owned and named several of the still existing routes. Danny climbed Mount Rainer and Pico de Orizaba in Mexico in the early 70's. In 1977 Danny met Cherrie Smith at the Taco Bell on the drag in Austin through a mutual friend. They had many great travels together and married in October of 1980. Mia was born in 1983 and Elliot was born in 1988. After the birth of his children, his passion shifted to perfecting his billiards skills, wining many amateur championships in Texas and Las Vegas. Danny worked for Porsche till September of 2020, making it a 47-year career and earned his credentials as one of the highest ranked diagnostic master technicians for Porsche in the southern U.S.

He taught his children independence, common sense, and the importance of stubbornness. He was a teacher, a father, an inventor, a problem solver, and at times a jokester. He would disassemble toys and wrap them in separate boxes for Christmas. He expressed his love for his children by helping foster their passions. He recognized Mia's love for water early on and it led him to get their scuba certification when she was just 14, she has since went on to become a Dive Master and ecologist. He fostered Elliot's mechanical/technical inclinations as well as love for billiards, Elliot became a crew chief for F-16 fighter aircraft in the U.S. Air Force and is now pursuing a career in the Mechanical Engineering & Design field. Danny will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all that loved him till the end of time.