‘He loved fiercely.’ Local father dies from blood clot after fighting flesh-eating bacteria

NEWDALE — Following his tragic death, the family of this local ‘girl dad’ says they will always remember his fierce love and his mischievous, prank-loving personality.

Jon McCoy died on Monday at 38-years-old from complications due to a massive blood clot.

EastIdahoNews.com first covered Jon’s story in August, when he was hospitalized after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria in his leg.

RELATED | Local father in ICU after contracting flesh-eating bacteria in his leg

“He was at EIRMC (Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center), and he was making great progress, to the point where he was able to be released and go home,” says Jon’s sister-in-law, Jessica Lang. “Everything with his leg was on the positive.”

Jon was traveling weekly to EIRMC for wound care, and was also being seen by a home health nurse regularly, to make sure his infected leg was improving – and it was.

But on Monday, things took a turn for the worse.

“It wasn’t until this past weekend that he was experiencing some breathing difficulties, which people thought was his asthma acting up,” says Lang.

After a recommendation from his nurse to go to EIRMC due to his wheezing and feeling out of breath, Jon was admitted to the hospital, where doctors found a large blood clot in the center of his lungs.

He was then rushed into an hours-long surgery to break up and remove the blood clot.

“They couldn’t put him all the way under because of the fact that he already had so much pressure on his chest,” says Lang. “So he was semi-awake during his procedure.”

During the surgery, Lang says she was told that doctors heard Jon say, “I can’t breathe,” before losing his pulse.

“They called a code in the hospital, and a bunch of doctors and nurses rushed to where the procedure was happening and started CPR immediately,” says Lang.

After 30 minutes of attempting to resuscitate Jon, doctors asked his wife, Monica McCoy, if she wanted to see him in case he ended up passing away.

“She said there were probably 30 to 40 people in that room, all taking turns doing CPR on Jon,” says Lang. “They gave everything they had to save him.”

A few minutes later, Jon died due to the blood clot.

Obituary from Flamm’s Funeral Home | Jon McCoy

According to Lang, Jon was not able to be on blood thinners due to other medical issues he was dealing with, which could have caused the blood clot.

“It still doesn’t seem real,” says Lang. “It happened so quickly.”

Monica and her daughters, ages 7 and 11, are working through the grief process as best they can, says Lang, dealing with the loss of a husband and father.

According to Lang, one thing the family has been speaking about is Jon’s love for a good prank.

“Jon used to give his daughter high fives anytime she was being mischievous,” says Lang. “She said, ‘Who’s going to give me high fives now?’”

Lang says Jon will be remembered as a quiet man with a great sense of humor, who was always ready to help someone in need.

“He had such a big heart,” says Lang. “He loved to cook; he was a great cook. That was one of his passions. Same with automotive, he loved cars and was very knowledgeable about cars….he was one of the nicest, sweetest, caring people you would ever talk to.”

Jon was the ultimate girl dad, says Lang, who hopes that his daughters will grow up remembering how unconditionally he loved them.

“He definitely was meant to be a girl dad. He was very gentle, and instantly, they had him wrapped around their fingers,” says Lang. “He just cared so much for his girls and loved them unconditionally.”

Lang says the family wants to thank EIRMC, Enhabit Home Health, and the Newdale community for all of the love and support they have been given throughout Jon’s illness and during their grieving process.

“The Newdale community, they’ve been really good at just being there for Monica and the girls,” says Lang. “It’s such a small community, and it really is like a family out there.”

A GoFundMe originally meant to raise money for hospital bills is still active, and is now raising funds for funeral expenses and the family’s future. You can also donate to Monica’s Venmo account, @MonicaMcCoy-26.

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.

“(Jon) was loved by so many people. And he loved fiercely,” says Lang. “He was just an all-around, great guy.”