Update on Dr. Benz/Dan Caron's Health

[mdsalemi]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our esteemed colleague, Dan Caron, Dr. Benz, is finally going in for surgery to have his chest cyst removed.  He left for Toronto today; surgery is scheduled for August 30.  Needless to say, expect him to be out of commission for a while.

Here's where he will be:

Toronto General Hospital
200 Elizabeth St.
Toronto, ON  CANADA
M5G 2C4
Telephone: (416) 340-4800

He asked me to pass on the following:

Tell the guys on the site that I'll be OK but won't be working for a while.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[keesing]

GOD SPEED Dan Caron, Dr. Benz...
Our prayers are with you!

1967 250SL Signal Red
1969 280SL "Tweety Bird Yellow"
1987 260E Charcoal

[Jonny B]

Mike,

Thanks for the update and the address.

Many prayers for Dan!

Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

[mdsalemi]

Just got the following from Dan Caron:

Hey, I'm doing OK.
I've been in Toronto since last Thurs just resting up as much as I can. The doctors told me I won't be able to do any heavy lifting for about 6 months so I'm going to have a long recovery...

We went to the CN tower the other day - Shelley never saw it before. Been staying with a friend near downtown and we can ride the streetcars around if we want. She's a bit like a fish out of water in the big city - I'm kind of used to it except for all of the heavy trafic while driving.

We have the CD that Roman [Bartl] made. It's really nice and he did a great job. I think everyone had a good time at the party and I'm really glad I did it and was able to do it.

This will be my last post for a while although I do check emails every day. After wed I won't be able to.

I saw your post on the site.
Thanks for that.

Dan

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[Ben]

Best of luck Dan, hope your recovery is swift !

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

[mdsalemi]

I just spoke with Dan's wife Shelley...Dan had the surgery yesterday 8/30.  4 hours, and he came out very well.  His color is back, he can breathe again,  everything was benign.  He'll probably be "in hospital" until next Wednesday.  He's currently in "step down" which is the Canadian term for what we call the ICU.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[J. Huber]

Awesome. Thanks Michael. If you speak to Dan or Shelley again soon, pass on my best wishes.

James
63 230SL

[Benz Dr.]

Hi all,
I,m out of hospital now and staying with my sister near Toronto. I think I'll go home on Sat.

The operation saved my life - I only had a few more months and it would have too late. The cyst had grown and it turned out to be anything but easy to remove. They had to deflate my right lung and move my heart aside to make room to get it out. It was really pushing on everything and it's little wonder I've felt so tired for the past several years. I never knew how sick I really was.

My stay in the hospital taught me a lot of new things. Very few people working on my unit were born in Canada and we had some problems understanding each other. Everyone had an accent. To make matters worse, the surgeon had to cut my vocal cord nerve and I can hardly talk. It could be a few months before I get my full voice back.

Last Sunday I woke up poorly and felt very hot and a bit dizzy. The nurse came in to take my vitals and came back with a portable EKG machine. They took the test and kept watching me.. my heart was beating very quickly.
Shelley came in about 10 that morning and I remember the doctor coming in and asking me how I was so I said OK. He no sooner left and I knewI was in trouble. My heart rate was about 160 and so was my blood preasure. I was rushed back to step down and stayed there for another day. I think they had me hooked up to every machine in the building. I'm on a heart medication now and feel OK on that end but I'm still very weak.

I'm glad to be back.



Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[bsimaz]

Thanks for the update Dr.  Glad to hear everything went find and my prayers are with you.


Bill Simaz
'66 230sl
Back on the Road

[Naj ✝︎]

Best Wishes for a speedy recovery

naj

68 280SL

[waqas]

Wow... he's barely out of the hospital (not even home yet!) and he's already posting on the website... that's called dedication!

Our little club is a far better place with your active involvement and years of contribution. Thanks, and here's to a quick and full recovery!

Best regards,
WAQAS in Austin, Texas

[dwilli3038]

God Speed Don, we are all so pleased things are going OK and wish you the best for a speedy and total recovery

Daryl
'64 230 SL Buckeye Benz Scarlet interior and Grey top Serial # 508
'77 280SE

[waltklatt]

Hope you get better soon Mr. Caron.
All the best and keep on Pagodaing!
Regards,
Walter Klatt
1967 220SL-diesel
1963 230SL-gas

[Ed Cave]

Hang in there, Dan. You'll be back before you know it. Glad things are looking up.

             :?    [:0][:0][:0]

Ed Cave
Atlanta, GA


1971 280SL
1973 911S
2004 A4 3.0
2006 GS430

[Bob G ✝︎]

Dan:
do what the doctors tell you and take your medication. It will take sometime for you to feel better all of us who now you are pulling for you and wish you  a quick recovery. May god watch over you at this time and help you.

From us all on the W113 forum.

[KevinC]

Dan:

Please continue to keep us "posted". Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Kevin

Kevin Caputo
Boca Raton, FL
1967 230 SL Automatic
670 Light Ivory
113 Bronze/Brown MB Tex

[Benz Dr.]

Hi all, and thanks for all the kind wishes for my recovery.

I'm gaining strenght daily and went and got a hairt cut this morning. Nothing unusual about that but this was like no hair cut I've ever had. A real old world deal done by this very nice friend of my sister's - a Croation lady named Maria.
Maria not only cut my hair she trimed my beard too, and SHORT! Oh, that wasn't good enough. Then she got out the shaving cream and gave me a shave with a straight razor. ( gulp )

You wouln't know me now. Very slick looking now............

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[hauser]

Hey Doc!  Great to hear you're doing well!  You've been greatly  missed here!

As for the haircut and shave I guess you can say you've gotten yourself a makeover!  

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

[Benz Dr.]

Hi all,
I'm back home as of Sat and feel pretty good. Still a fair bit of pain around my right shoulder but it's not too bad. While I was in the hospital I learned that a 21 year old soldier from my home town of Port Lambton was killed in action - something that hasn't happened in Lambton County since the Korean war. A full military funeral will be held this Wed which I plan to attend.
As I was laying in my hospital bed I thought about how war is the worst thing that humans can do to each other and how hospitals might be the best. Let's hope it's all over soon so everyone can come back home.....

I left the hospital last Tuesday only six days after I walked into the front doors. As I walked out on to University Ave I suddenly was taken back 31 years to the exact day, place and time where at the age of 19 I stood looking at Queens Park to my right and the CN tower to my left. I had taken a day trip to Toronto that day and my friend and I used the subway to get around the city. We got off at Queens Park, 3:00 PM - the exact time I left the hospital and the exact same time my younger brother passed away....
I knew then then that my life had come full circle and that I was finally going home. The odds of something like this happening must be millions to one and I can't even begin to explain the higher order of things or what it all means.

I know this is a site about cars ( something I'll always love ) but I just wanted to say thanks for all the suport during a very trying time and deeply personal expirience. I wouldn't have missed it for the the world, although I think I might have avoided it given a choice....

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[ja17]

Hello Dan,

Welcome back and wishing a speedy recovery.  A lot of pagoda owners all over the internet world, were praying and wishing well for you!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Jonny B]

I will add my regards and best wishes for a continued speedy and complete recovery. Glad to hear you are back at home, quite an expressive letter on your experience. Thank you for sharing that with this community.


Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

[pferg]

Good to have you back Doc!!

PFerg

[Abbas]

No one else in this forum has the name Benz Dr. There are some individuals in this forum whom we wait their replies to the topics posted and read them more often than others - and your are one of them. Well Come Again!

Abbas

280SL W113 1969 Ivory
E280 W124 1995 Silver

[enochbell]

Doc,

I am sincerely glad to hear your recovery is on-plan.  I, too, have always appreciated your contributions and have read every one with pleasant anticipation.  The personality you express is a credit to your constitution and, coincidentally, the marque.

I assume they replaced any parts with OEM, per spec.

Live well and get back with us,

g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[113gray]

Dan, While many of our group know you personally, most of the rest of us feel as though we do because of your massive contributions here. Allow me to aad my sincere wish for a speedy recovery. With respect & gratitude, Jim Pancoast, '66 230 SL, Tidewater Virginia