Darryl Strawberry gives thanks after 'challenging times' as wife Tracy has multiple surgeries
Darryl and Tracy Strawberry at his jersey retirement ceremony on June 1, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
After a series of surgeries that her husband described as “very challenging times for us,” Darryl Strawberry’s wife, Tracy, was set to be released from the hospital on Friday, the former Mets star wrote in an Instagram post Thursday.
In July, Darryl shared that his wife had early-stage cancer and would be undergoing a hip replacement surgery later in the year, though it’s unclear if that was the procedure that had her in the hospital this week.
“This really has been some very challenging times for us, but we wanted to thank God for his Grace and Mercy!” Darryl wrote in the post — a carousel of photos that showed him at Tracy's bedside. “My Heart Has Been Heavy Lately And Needing To Say Thanks For Being There For My Wife.”
Darryl went on to thank the doctors and nurses who steered Tracy through “back-to-back surgeries and major health challenges . . .
“We are truly grateful to each and every one of you who has taken the time to pray for us during this difficult moment,” he added. “Your support and prayers mean the world to our family.”
Tracy previously had surgery on Oct. 6 and experienced a setback, according to Darryl’s Instagram.
The two met at a Narcotics Anonymous convention in 2003. Both recovering addicts, Darryl has often credited his wife, who has a doctorate in theology, with helping him stay sober.
“God would send (Tracy) into my life when I was at the bottom,” Darryl, 63, said in a video posted to the “God Behind Bars” Instagram page in May. “I was smoking crack, shooting dope, I was $3 million in debt and she was banging on doors and pulling me out of dope houses and talking about (how) God’s got a plan for your life. And I said, ‘Why don’t you and God just leave me here and let me die?’ And she used to throw her finger up and say, ‘You’re not that lucky.’ ”
They went on to found Strawberry Ministries, which takes a faith-based approach to helping those dealing with issues of addiction and trauma.
"I come out of addiction myself," Tracy said in the video. "I lost custody of my three sons, so I know that brokeness . . . Darryl is one of the most genuine, most loving people that I have ever met and that came through him so genuinely. You know, we have to own our behaviors. They're bad and what we do is very bad, but the person on the inside is worth rescuing."
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
