On Monday night I received a call from Jason Torchinsky’s wife, Sally, who informed me that Jason had suffered what seemed at the time like early stages of a heart attack. With intense chest and stomach pain, Jason had to be take in an ambulance to the local hospital, where he underwent surgery for a tear in his aorta. The Taillight-King is currently recovering, and seems in good spirits.
I’m gonna keep this blog short, because there’s a lot rushing through my mind at the moment. Jason Torchinsky is, of course, way, way more than my coworker, he’s one of my closest friends and a titan in the automotive media world who has made cars fun and approachable in ways that nobody has ever done before. Squid cars? Ham bumpers? Sushi taillights? An entire world themed around taillight gangs? I could go on and on. Jason is the soul of The Autopian, just as he was the soul of the German Lighting Site, but more than that, he’s an amazing, one-of-one human being with an awesome wife, Sally, and fantastic son, Otto. Which is why I’m so glad to hear that Jason is recovering well after surgery.
What happened is something called “Aortic dissection.” Here’s a little primer on this rather serious condition via St. Clair Hospital’s website:
An aortic dissection is a medical emergency. In this condition, a tear occurs in the inner layer of the large blood vessel branching off the heart. This blood vessel is called the aorta. Aortic dissection is most common in men in their 60s and 70s.Symptoms include sudden, severe chest pain that spreads to the neck or down the back and sudden stomach pain. Other symptoms include loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and stroke symptoms such as trouble seeing, speaking or moving. Treatment includes surgery to fix the aorta and medicines, such as beta blockers.
He’ll be back here blogging crazy taillight blogs before you know it, but until then, he’ll take a nice, long, well-deserved and much-needed break.
We love you, Torch. Get well soon so we can fix your Beetle’s engine. And your F-150’s flywheel. And your Pao’s hood. And the Tiguan’s…Volkswagen-iness. And your RV’s…everything. Actually, forget I mentioned those — you don’t need that stress in your life. Just relax and enjoy the holiday season.
UPDATE: You can support Jason HERE.
Get well soon! The world needs your stories of inexpensive Chinese battery powered vehicles.
Glad you’re all right, Torch! Take it easy and be safe!
Get well soon. Time for some “old ass video games” when you get home.
Get well soon, some stories still need to be told!
Get well soon, Torch! I’m very glad you got to the hospital and got your ticker tuned up in time. We’re all here pulling for you.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! You know there was that study everyone talked about a few months ago about how men think about ancient Rome daily. That doesn’t apply to me, but weirdly I always think in certain situations what would Jason Torchinsky describe this as using his dictionary-opening word salad. Of course I have neither the vocabulary or the mental capacity to envision a pithy or witty examination of whatever situation is in front of me the way you do, but it still makes me think.
tired: ancient Rome
wired: ancient carriage lights
Good criminy that’s a Hell of a thing to go through! I’m very glad to know he’s OK.
Get well Torch! First time poster, early member though… Now I am reconsidering that upgrade that woul require you to draw a volvo 122 wagon!
Get well soon, Jason! Refuah Shelayma as we say. I promise more pics of my Spitfire tail lights as soon as you’re recovered.
Get well Torch, and take care of that aorta. I hope your recovery is swift and easy. I’ll keep your barstool warm at the local taillight pub.
Wow…..rest up Torch! We’ll be waiting for your return, but don’t rush. It will just make us crave that juicy taillight content even more.
Oh man, glad to hear he’s recovering! Sending good vibes to Torch and his family!!!
Get well soon Jason! We’re all waiting for ya to get back because we love your madness. <3
Get well Jason! Hoping for a speedy recovery!!!
Best Wishes for a Speedy Recovery! Too ironic that heart trouble hit the man with such a good heart
Get well and take as much time as you need Torch!
Get well, Torch.
I was going to make a joke about Torch being ahead of the curve, but instead, I’ll take the high road and wish him a speedy recovery. Looking forward to seeing you and your Pao back on the road!
Oh geez. Get well soon Torch!
Get well sweet prince!
I hope your hospital stay is short and you get some hugs at home!
Get well soon, Torch!
I’m very glad to hear that Jason is going to be okay! He was the reason I started reading the Old Site, and he’s the reason I switched over to Autopian (nothing personal, the rest of you).
I thought of him earlier today, when FB showed me a graphic about the evolution of Renault taillights, and I was stunned that it wasn’t a Torch posting.
Wheelbarrows of shrimp would have killed a lesser man.
Good luck Torch, get well soon.
Get well soon and take it easy. Don’t let the stress of poorly designed lighting get to you. After all, that’s why they exist. I don’t have much time to get this out, but I uncovered a conspiracy started by a cabal in th