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 better Jason!
Guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve been told that but I mean it as a sincere hope for your improved health.
Get well soon from Greensboro! Your Principal’s son!
Get well soon Torch!!
Take care and rest up buddy.
Also as tempting as it might be to get a Chang Li aorta, please don’t
All the best
Get feeling better Torch. We all need a few more good-hearted geeks in our lives.
Get well Torch!
Get well soon Torch! I once had a phone call with Torch and David and I remember thinking how genuinely friendly they both were and Torch talks exactly how I would have expected him to. Looking forward to see you back writing Jason!
Okay MoFos! Let’s help the Torch family. Deductibles and Coinsurance can be brutal for something like this.
GoFundMe for Torchy
I’m in
Tried to add a taillight picture for good cheer, but wouldn’t take.
well, the thought was there
edit: btw, thanks for starting it. I sent them a tip hoping someone will update the article to mention it
Glad you acted in time and I hope you heal soon & strong!
Do not get a replacement heart off Alibaba.
Get well soon Torch
omg, i hope they caught it in time. aortic dissection surgeries are gnarly asf. i hope they were able to get it with an endovascular repair.
i hope for a speedy recovery!
Torch, next time you’re running on all cylinders, be careful not to pop the clutch! Just cruise for a bit and later on feel free to rev a bit. Just pay attention to the amber lights!
Feel better.
Keep that ChangLi close. Bzzzzt 😀
get well Torch, were all glad you’re okay. it’ll take more than that to burn out torch’s taillights
Thank fucking God they reacted properly! Aortic dissection is super serious shit and failure to act was what killed poor John Ritter. Stomach pain being a big symptom that often confuses diagnosis.
Be well Torchinsky’s!
Get better, Torch!
Clearly it will take a bit more than that to burn out Jason’s bulb, and I’m glad to hear that all signals indicate a turn in the right direction. I’m kind of expecting a write up on the various lights that adorn an ambulance, and their evolution over the years. This also made me wonder – when Jason’s time does come, will he see a taillight at the end of the tunnel? If that’s the case, he will definitely go toward it. Wishing you a full and swift recovery!
Jesus fuck… that’s what (eventually) killed Mike Fahey as well.
Throw in Drew Magary’s sudden brain hemorrhage, and things really don’t work out well for “The Soul of [G/O Media property]”
Once I saw Torch was doing well, I immediately wondered if there was a corresponding shirtless shot featuring Autopian pasties similar to Adrian’s scare lol
Get well soon Jason! You got this! 🙂
Godspeed Sir Torch!
Heal fast, Torch. (Please go towards the taillight, not *the* light.)
I’m going to have to head on down to the Lumière Rouge this evening and pour one out for Torch.
Get well soon, Jason.
Get better soon 🙂
After a while you start to assume certain things and people will always be there, and then you’re reminded how tenuous it all is. The fact that Jason can give me belly laughs as easily as any person alive…is suddenly both unimportant and not to be taken for granted. Just glad he is alive. Prayers for a quick recovery.