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.
As someone who has an aortic root dilation (that is being monitored for now) this is serious business.
I am one of the lucky ones who found my issue on a routine stress test/ultrasound and knowing you have it and can monitor it is key, so Jason is extremely lucky to have had the right people taking care of him here if he was unaware he even had an issue.
John Ritter died of this. It is no joke. So glad Jason is doing well and his advice is actually funny but also on point because if you can get yours looked at at all, knowing could make the difference between life and death. Why? Because I know that if I have any kind of heart attack symptom, I am immediately going to the cardiac unit and telling them I have an aortic root dilation, which means their emergency care gets all the more specialized for that kind of thing.
So glad you were able to get treated in a timely manner…it was a “near-hit”. Recover well!
Been away with little internet access…..just saw this.
So glad Jason didn’t ignore symptoms.
Aortic Dissection is no joke and can be a quick killer.
Heal quick, but take time and don’t stress….we will be here upon your return.
I’m going to petition the medical powers-that-be to change the name to the Paorta.
My friend had this and he ignored the early symptoms and unfortunately suffered brain damage. Thank God Jason got checked out early.
Don’t be that typical guy who ignores symptoms. There is no shame in getting something out of the ordinary checked out by a medic.
Glad to hear you are better,and you better fucking stay better too:-)
Take your time and relax,we’ll all be here when you are back again.
Get well soon, Torch. Without you, who’s going to fill up out inboxes with trivial minutiae that is nevertheless fascinating?
I wish torch a speedy and painless recovery
Damn, Piech and his VW goons have sent him a warning.
Get well, Jason, have a speedy recovery.
Never stop Torch. That’s not a request, that’s an order. Us car nerds need you!
Get well Torch! Hope to see you back in action soon!
Get well, my new friend. Your creation here is my new favorite auto website, and you deserve to keep growing with it.
Yikes, after two days on the road I sit down to this – so glad you’re okay Torch! Afterall, you are the
Autopian’s Only Real Taillight Aficionado
and we need you, man!
get well Torch, we need an update on David’s shower spaghetti!
Get well soon Torch!
Godspeed
Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery! Take your time! We will miss you!❤️
רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה
Get well soon Mr. Torchinsky. Sending my best wishes to you and your family from me and mine in Scotland.
Torch, Get Well, dammit!
My doctor, Dr. Vinnie Goombatz, will be in touch.
tom in maine
Get well Jason. You and your family are in my thoughts.
Get well soon! Sending whatever support I can.
I’ve been on vacation and just saw this. Just surviving an aortic tear is an impressive feat.
I have nothing witty or inventive to say. All our best wishes for a fast recovery, Jason.