NorCal SE30 Racers and Friends,
I just found out that Ron Cortez of AIM Tire had a serious heart attack last week and is scheduled for open heart surgury today. Below is a email message from Tom Pabst that outlines what happened with Ron. Sounds like Ron was very lucky to be in an airport that had people trained and equipment nearby to aid him. Please join me in wishing Ron a sucessful surgery and a speedy and full recovery. Ron is one of the good guys in our business and has been a special supporter to NorCal SpecE30 these last few years.
Scott
From: tom_pabst@pabst-racing.com
To:
Subject: Update on Ron Cortez Condition
Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:37:26 -0700
[i]Hi All,
Some of you may not be aware that Ron Cortez had a serious heart attack last Wednesday morning at the Oakland airport while boarding a flight to Los Angeles (business meeting for the day). Through quick action of a flight attendant (the plane was still at the boarding gate) Ron was resuscitated via defibrillation paddles and transported to a hospital near the Oakland airport by EMT’s. By Wednesday night he had been transferred to another hospital in Hayward for the night, and then again transferred to a hospital in Oakland where he has been since Thursday morning. He is currently scheduled for open heart surgery on Monday morning at the hospital in Oakland (sorry, but I don’t know the name of it, I think it is Summit??).
Tim Barber is the primary contact via the hospital on Ron’s condition. But Tim has been running his sprint car this weekend so he isn’t available to send out this notice to all of you. I’m doing it for him…and of course, for Ron.
Tim and I both visited Ron at the hospital in Hayward on Wednesday (as did Jim Rogers). He seemed in good spirits but was still in a bit of denial about the peril of his health situation. We’ve spent the last couple days trying to gather up his car keys (getting his car out of daily parking at the Oakland Airport) and his assistant at the tire shop, (Stephanie Chow) has been nothing short of awesome in running around and taking care of both personal and business stuff for Ron. She’s made a ton of trips between SFO and Infineon…good thing she rides a Ducati! Stephanie is due more credit than either Tim or I combined, in taking things into her hands making them happen on behalf of Ron. Bravo, Stephanie!
I don’t have much more details to give you and it probably wouldn’t be appropriate even if I did to send them out via email. I have this “group list” put together and will update all of you through email when I have word on his surgery on Monday. At this point, I’m not going to give “weather reports” as they serve no purpose but to get everyone upset…and probably needlessly. I hope you all understand? I also hope you understand that neither Tim nor I can field hundreds of phone calls, text messages or emails. So please wait for word from either myself via email…or from Tim Barber…AFTER Ron’s surgery on Monday.
We promise to keep you informed and when Ron is allowed visitors I’ll send out his contact info at the hospital to all of you.
In the meantime, what you can do to help Ron is put in a good word for him with the big racer upstairs! Ron will be in his hands on Monday morning.
Best,
Tom Pabst
(and, also on behalf of Tim Barber and Stephanie Chow)
PS: Ron doesn’t have a family that he is close to. “We” are his family…and that includes all of you![/i]
