Jason is in the hospital recovering from an Aortic Dissection, a condition in which “a tear occurs in the inner layer of the large blood vessel branching off the heart,” as St. Clair Hospital’s website puts it. It’s a serious thing, and we are so grateful Jason’s wife Sally told him to call an ambulance immediately when he told her about his chest pain. Jason was rushed to the hospital, which is just a stone’s throw away from his house, and is now healing. He’s still feeling some pain and dealing with all sorts of post-op discomfort, but not enough to keep him from THANKING YOU ALL for your support.
If you’ve been watching Jason at Jalopnik and now here on The Autopian, usually driving some crazy old car or telling you some wacky thing about a taillight, then the video below is probably going to make you feel a lot of emotions. It certainly had that effect on me, because Jason is the craziest, most amped-up, wackiest, most fun human being I’ve ever known, and to see that fun have to be throttled back because his body won’t cooperate…it’s a little tough to see. The world is a better place when Jason Torchinsky can truly be himself, which is to say UNHINGED; he’s healing, and will undoubtedly return to that nominal state, but there’s a bit of a battle ahead still. You can see in Jason’s video here that, though he’s still dealing with that battle, he’s doing well enough to thank you all for your support and to suddenly transform into his usual self when he’s being silly and talking about a scar:
Jason, who is a bit short of breath and down on energy (he has hiccups that are causing pain in his ribs, which had to be broken for the operation) starts the video with: “Hi everybody, I just wanna say thank you all so much for all the support and everything everybody’s done in reaching out. It means so much to me. This is not a great plan I had, but it is what it is. And I’ll be back as soon as I can, and just thank you!”
Then comes some sort of transformation in which he gains enough energy to re-enter full Torch mode for a few seconds: “Oh yeah and check out this badass scar, that’s pretty good. They cut open my STERNUM. Sounds crazy, but I just appreciate everybody’s support and reaching out, it means a lot to me, so thank you everybody.”
Since the video was shot, Jason’s wife Sally told me that Torch, unable to resist his calling in life, is considering blogging about the amber reflectors on his walker — reflectors that he finds funny, as they seem to imply some kind of highway capability:
Anyway, Jason wants to say thanks to all of you. Fellow industry colleagues, friends, readers, other publications (I’ll just note that Jalopnik’s tweet was classy). Thank you to Thad for starting the Torch Medical Fund on GoFundMe (Sally told me she’s had so many folks ask how they can help, she created this “Jason’s Coming Home From The Hospita” Amazon registry. If you want to help in any way, you’re welcome to contribute to either of those two, but there’s no obligation at all. Your kind words mean so much to Jason).
It’s a trying time for us here at The Autopian, and even more of a trying time for Jason and his family. But we also realize how much of a trying time this might be to many of you, dear readers. When you spend over a decade reading someone’s every word and following them on social media, it’s hard not to build a bond with them. I often think of writing as a porthole into one’s soul, and once you read enough of someone’s words, you really feel like you get them. Like you know them. Jason has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with his work, and you should all know that as much as he means to you, you mean just as much to him. You’re the reason he has continued to do what he does for over a decade. So thank you! From the bottom of Jason’s humongous, patched-up heart whose sound confused the doctor when they first listened to it. “Uh, your heart…it sounds… is that the click of a turn signal’s thermal flasher relay?”
Jason: “Wait, they’re not all like that?”
I’m just glad that he’s sticking around a while longer instead of riding off in the great ChangLi in the sky. Jason – We’re rooting for you to get better soon!
Get better soon, Jason! Your analysis of cars as art changed how I think about technology.
That is a beautiful statement, and with Jason being the influencer here, the odds that your change was for the better are pretty good 🙂 Jason, as well as so much of the Jalopnik staff over the years, and of course everyone here at The Autopian, have affected SO MUCH positive change in car enthusiast communities. Cars as art, sure, but also the push for inclusion in car communities, democratisation of access to technical knowledge, rejection of gatekeeping… these guys have been changing the face of car culture as we know it for a long time now.
Jason’s the reason I followed all of these folks from the old site. Donated and happy he’s on the mend.
Where is a Torchinsky’s OBD port located?
Where are you going to find an OBD-zero reader these days?
Onward to a positive, and speedy recovery!
I tried donating with Paypal, but the circle just spun.
If you’re running any script blockers, (NoScript, uBlock, etc.) you may have to temporarily disable them to get it to work.
Dude needs to mod that walker. I’m thinking LED headlamps, spoiler, ambient lighting around the handlebars. Maybe +1s on the tires and wheels (although that might not be straightforward). Gotta have it ready for Cars and Coffee once he’s out and about.
Hood scoops, fake intake vents, and spare tire driven headlight washers
I’m so glad that he’s doing alright and getting the care he needs…Thank you for the update!
Jesus, I get busy and don’t check the site for a week or two and y’all send Torch to the freaking hospital? Can’t I count on you people for anything?
In all seriousness, get better soon Jason. You have brought a ton of joy to my life. From lunch meat bumpers to chainsawing batteries. And I’m not sure if I’ve ever laughed harder than the “I took a dump like an Apollo astronaut” article. You’re a prince among men and the best kind of weirdo.
Everyone who can, please consider donating to the fundraiser. It looks like they hit their goal, but Medical costs are no joke and there will be a ton of incidental expenses that they may not have anticipated. It’s also right at the end of the year so he’ll probably end up hitting his out of pocket max for both years. Ugh.
Late to this but I just donated to gofundme which should put it over the goal. Broke my hip last year due to a squirrel (long story), so I know how high the costs can get for something major like this, even with insurance. I hope you’re soon feeling yourself again! Not in that way…
Sounds like a worse version of when I fractured my pinky toe kicking a dandelion
OK story time, the both of you, please.
Ok so I was wearing those vibram five fingers shoes that have the individual toes, and I went to kick a dandelion because you know, it’s fun to make the little helicoptery bits go flying. This was like 8 years ago and I honestly don’t remember if I actually made contact with the dandelion or not, but I DEFINITELY made contact with a large plastic compost bin (the upright roughly rectangular prism shaped kind with the wheels on one side). It hurt like a bitch but I didn’t suspect anything was wrong beyond that. I endured the pain for the rest of the day and partway into the next before me and my dad came to the joint conclusion that it should have started to feel at least a bit better by then. So I went to the doctor and got an xray and turns out my pinky toe has a fracture. So then my right foot was in a boot for a few weeks.
It’s arguably funnier as a one line anecdote partly because of the escalation of dandelion to fracture with no explanation, but hey, y’know.
Thanks for coming to my TOETalk
Amazing.
So wife and I feed birds and squirrels were knocking over feeders and bird baths, so I was always trying to chase them out of the yard. Worked all day in the yard and was exhausted so when finished went and sat on the patio to cool off. Wife comes out for a few minutes, then heads in to prep dinner. A few minutes go by, and I decide I’m going in too. I stand up to walk in, when I hear a squirrel barking to my left so I turn my head to look as I’m walking, but didn’t see the small footstool in front of me. Stepped right into it and couldn’t put my foot down. Threw my balance off as I’m hopping and went down like a ton of bricks onto hard clay soil. I heard and felt it when it popped and I swear I thought I heard the squirrel laughing.
Managed to roll over just enough I wasn’t on top of the pain point, but couldn’t really move. Wife has no idea, so I laid there for about 30 minutes while the sun went down, squirrel laughter still ringing in my ears. Wife finally comes out to see where I am and another 30 minutes go by waiting on an ambulance.
That hurt worse than both motorcycle accidents I had with broken bones (one shattered my knee in five pieces), but not as bad when my gallbladder burst. I still blame the squirrel, but don’t chase them anymore, they’ve won.
Yeah yours was worse. Damn varmints
Slamming a toe or toes into anything is such a sharp pain, I winced when I read it because it’s happened to me soooo many times.
It was like a stubbed toe x100
Oh shit 🙁
You asked…
Are you all fixed up now?
Sorry, missed this. Yes, on the whole, still have a little balance issue, but at least I was able to keep the original parts and not a replacement, as well as tell the weather.
Good. Telling the weather is a skill I obtained when I fell up the stairs once.
Thinking about what drives you… Sounds like like you’re positive and in good spirits. Keep it up! Will be interesting to read your thoughts on the Bluetooth walker turn signals.
But no hurry. We all want you to get better, like really good. I’ve never had the heart accessed, but I’ve been through 4 full blown abdominal surgeries that took several months to recover. Simple things I took for granted I couldn’t do for awhile, but eventually it all comes back.
Laying in the hospital makes your mind wander like nothing else, especially with some of the meds. I was seeing things on the walls, the equipment looked like robots, etc.
So much love. Good gravy are we pulling for you
Chag Hanukkah Sameach
Tail lights on a walker? I certainly hope we have not achieved “Peak Torchinsky”. Wishing you many more years of entertaining trogs like me with your wit, humor, and love for all things automotiveley obscure.
That explains the Instagram reel from the hospital bed. I’m glad Torch is on the mend and now he can point at the scar and say it’s a fuel pump access.
Figures a VW guy would fill the fuel tank from the front.
Never ignore your check engine light. Important lesson here. We miss you terribly, Torch!
Take your time and heal Torch! We will all be here when you get back! Now excuse me as I go look at tail lights as a tribute..
Sending lots of love and gear oil covered hugs your way, you glorious representation of a 3/4 scale human person, you. <3
I’m going to go turn on my hazard lights for five minutes, as an offer of placation to the big ol’ editor in chief in the sky.
Get well soon, Torch!
Good to hear your voice again! It’s great that Sally was quick to react and got you to the hospital quickly! There’s a lot of love all of us here have for you, get better and know we’re on your side.
Jason, I’m glad you’re on the mend! I hope you have a full and speedy recovery.
And at some point, you’ll have to get a tattoo to go with that scar.
Maybe something like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e7/c0/47/e7c047d05236f0dd65a184f2492393b4.jpg
Or this:
https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/167822053_3926913387344852_2994067872302138823_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=7f8c78&_nc_ohc=qojOIzF3QY0AX9Iq3AF&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDa64WTog3cvJ5jYS8XhT7JbPgoZv-FsziIdNyxUwzJ5A&oe=65958E65
Or this:
https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-8d0f5e6ad2a1687da8336c66df25494f-lq
Maybe a tattoo of an old jar of Bar’s Leaks
That’s going to be a wicked awesome scar! Seriously, glad to see you’re on the mend.
It is incredible stuff, open heart surgery.
What did they use to stick the flapping bit of skin down with? Back in the day they used to always use needles and thread, but now, believe it or not, they some times use glue… Has to be more like shoe glue than araldite but still.
No more rugby for a couple of years, but apart from that, should feel low milage again in three months.
It is when they fit pacemakers that the real problems start. Wives say they cannot get any sleep because husbands suddenly feel up to the job thanks to the motor, every night….
That is by far the fanciest and most butch/overlanding-looking walker I’ve ever seen. Paint? Reflectors? Padding? Casters? Is that a cupholder on the right, or maybe it’s for a small O2 tank? And look at all those adjustments! Wow!
I had to have a hip replaced 20 years too early due to a medication side-effect thing, and the walker that Kaiser sent me home with (the same day of the surgery btw, not even a single overnight at the hospital!) was that basic aluminum tubing and grey plastic version you see all the time in the free section of Craigslist and Nextdoor.
Not a single reflector to be found. 🙁 😉
Also, let me say that the hospital room window behind the walker looks a lot more like one at Cedars Sinai than one at Kaiser too.
I’m very glad Jason appears to be getting good care, if the recovery bling is anything to go by.
PS: Jason, the surgical scar area is going to hurt longer than promised, so please don’t start lifting any heavy objects right away, and for Godsake, please refrain from any chainsaw-related activities, OK?
🙂