My friend Paul a.k.a. “Chappy” in California
What would you do if your doctor told you that you couldn’t sling hot dogs for 6 weeks?
That is the dilemma facing HDCN reader Paul “Chappy” Chapman. Like so many of you, Paul started out as a customer and turned into a good friend of mine. He slings dogs from a really nice E-Z Built hot dog cart (with on board refrigerator, see pics below) in Stockton, California.
Chappy sent me an email two days ago that I forwarded to the subscribers of this newsletter. If you missed it, here it is again…
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Hey there Steve: Just a quick note. Tommorrow (12/5) at 7:30am at Sutter Heart Institute in Sacramento, CA I will be undergoing a 4 plus hour surgical procedure to correct a heart defect called “Atrial Fibrillation” AF for short. I will be out for 4 to 6 weeks. The timing could not be worse, this is happening right when I am starting my busy time of the year. But I know that I serve, and love a Great Big God. Let my fellow slingers know, I need all the prayer that I can get.
Chappy
Hot Diggidy Dog
Stockton, Ca
UPDATE 12/4: I got called last night 10:00 pm from my surgeon, he had just finished close to 24 hours of emergency surgeries, and felt he would not be on his “A” game for me with 6 hours of sleep. So he felt it would be best to hold off until the first of next week. As much as I wanted all of this over with, I have to agree. I will let you know the new date and time.
Chappy
Hot Diggidy Dog
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Paul has a really great location at a flea market and has built up a loyal following. He LOVES slinging dogs and talking with his regulars. Having to hang up his tongs for a month or more is going to be tough. This really made me stop and think…
I, of all people, should have a plan in place for something like this. About a year and a half ago I contracted a neurological condition called Guillain Barre Syndrome that left me with a lot of nerve damage in my lower legs and feet and some paralysis in my left hand. I got off easy from what I hear, and it happened during my off season. I was able to recover enough to get back behind the cart by the time the cold weather broke.
But even after that happened, I never stopped to think about what I would do if I had to take a break from doggin’ for a month or more. I guess I’m pretty good at denial.
What about you? Do you have a contingency plan in place for a time when you might be laid up for a while? Let’s brainstorm on this and see what we can come up with.
If you are a praying person send one up for Paul. If you are not, please keep him in your thoughts next week when he has his procedure and during his recovery time.
We’re with you Chappy!
-Steve
Click the pictures below for a larger version.
May the lord grant you a safe operation and a swift recovery.
Steve, thank you, I am a praying person so will be doing so for Chappy.
Chappy,
Sending you Prayers Thoughts and Healing White Light for a Speedy Recovery… You’ll be back out on the Street in no time…. Good Luck Brother
Big Lenny
Rutland, VT
Good luck chappy
I put him on our church prayer list at Rough River Baptist.
My prayers are with you!!!!!
I’ll be praying!!!! I own a hot dog cart in Tulsa and my wife’s family is in Stockton. Keep us informed, please.
PRAYING. –Great BallPark Dogs
Steve,
I am a new member but caught Chappy’s note about his heart surgery.
I had open heart repair years ago, about 30 years and said I would never submit to this again. Cracking open the chest is a hard to heal thing. I had another procedure to repair the Mitral valve 4 years ago but now they are able to do most heart repairs with minimally invasive surgery. Through a 1 inch slit in the chest, the doctor repaired my heart valve.
Anyone facing open heart surgery should contact their local heart specialists at the hospital in their area, as this system is more and more available. They even have robots doing some of the surgery!
I flew to Atlanta, Ga on a sunday, the surgery was on a monday and then I flew home that wednesday. I was back boiling Sabretts the next week.
New Jersey Rick
Hotdogs al la Cart
Winter Park, Fl.
Wouldn’t it be great if someone in that area could sling his dogs while he’s recovering? We don’t want his customers going elsewhere!
Karyl Zarrah Kowalczyk
Wow and sometimes we think we have it rough . Sending a church full of prayers his way.
The Twisted Dawg, aka, Marge Rivera
I am and I will.
This goes out to Chappy, our prayers go out to you and your family. Back in February I went in for surgery to put in a pacemaker. I didn’t work for a while either, but it’s the best thing that happened. I have more energy and getting ready to sling my dogs in march. Chappy may your surgery be successful and may you have a speedy recovery. BLESSINGS from LilLouiesHotDogs
Sending him a card now. Thanks for forwarding this! Praying too
Annmarie
What hospital in sac will he be in? Love to stop by and wish him well. Please let me know.
The Scripture says, to pray without ceasing. So, I’ll just add Chappy into my list of those that I currently pray for! Have a wonderful day today, Mr. Schaible! Speak with you on a later time.
Sincerely,
Gregory
What we need is Hot Dog Locums- professionals who fill in in when the dog doctor is away. Here in Sydney, Australia we dont have the slingrs to make it happen but in the land of the dog, there must be people who can go anywhere, anytime! After all, its all about the dog and the dogger.
Chappie, May God continue to bless you with a quick recovery. It is obvious that you are Blessed with great Faith…the best gift of all. Prayers will be said for you far and wide. I’m with Karyl… I know if I lived near by, you could count on me to help spell you… I pray that a group of your freinds and family will come through for you in that regard.
God Bless you Chappy. You are in my prayers.
Steve, one thing to consider is Short Term Disability coverage. I am an insurance agent, and many companies offer disability, with several options for coverage. I represent the World Leader in supplemental insurance and dollars are dollars… whether you have disability or a hospital plan that pays funds directly to you, each dollar can be used however you need to use it. Coverage is inexpensive and worth your look. Be sure you are talking to a well rated company that pays quickly. My company is the easiest to deal with and the majority of our claims are processed in about 4 days… My plan is a hot dog cart to supplement my income and fun when I retire from insurance… but you can BET I will be keeping my insurance in force. It is as important to me as my Maj Med… when I had a stroke… it was the REASON I was able to pay my bills throughout my recovery. You can send a little money to the Hospital along to pay that bill if you have to… you can’t bargain at the electric company or grocery store, or at the bank for your mortgage payment.
I’m also praying. I nearly faced that situation a couple of years ago when I tore my knee apart skiing. It delayed my opening for the season, but I was just plain determined and got out selling just 10 days after surgery. I don’t recommend that in Chappy’s case. But he is on my prayer list with prayers of speedy recovery and also I’m asking for someone to be available to help him out, maybe subbing for his sales. “Your Father in Heaven knows you have need of these things, but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.” Chappy has done that, so I know he’ll be taken care of. It’s a situation we all may have to face somehow at sometime and it can be scary. I’ll also put him on my church’s prayer chain.
How come so long? I am waiting for Ablation for my AF, and the recovery time is less than a week for my surgery. Is yours going to be the invasive surgery meaning you will be cracked open for it? mine they will be going thru a vein with a non invasive surgery.
My prayers goes with you buddy.I will light up a candle for a successful surgery.
God be with u.
steve please let Hot Diggidy Dog know that my prayers in oregon are with him this day. We do serve an awesome big God that watches over us and as for the help of his business i sure wish i was able to go over the hill to help him out in his busy time. i know all his customers will be there after he is ready to come back. keep focused for a speedy recovery. your fellow slinger in oregon. Nuttin But Dawgz
I wish you well Chappy! I’ll be praying for you!
Keith
Atlanta GA
You got it Chappy…get well soon !
Will do, Steve!
Robin
Lakeside Lunch
thxs for sending this, sure will include you in my prayers
We’ll keep Chappy in our prayers today….and hope he gets back to slingin’ dogs ASAP. I’m sure we’re all wishing him well and a speedy recovery.
God will keep him well !!!!!
Ahoy thar Cappy !!
I be praying that ye sail to into calmer waters & weather well this storm of life.
Perhaps ye can get a 1St mate to take the helm while yer in dry dock.
Best o luck to ye mate !! You’ll be back at it afore ye know it….. Arrrrggggg !!
1St Mate Jim…
Happy holidays to all..
STEVE ,
I KNOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER …………..HE SAVED AN OLE SINNER LIKE ME!!!!!!!!
PLEASE LET HIM KNOW WE ARE PRAYING”RIGHT NOW” ON HIS BEHALF IN NORTH
CAROLINA!!!!!!!! DONNY HILL
Our prayers are with you Chappy. wishing you the best and a speedy recovery
My thoughts and prayers go out to Chappy, I hope that he has a successful surgery and has a speedy recovery.
Heavenly Father, help Chappy Thank you for the life you gave him and for the lives that loves brain. Continue to use him as your Instrument to share your goodness and your Love. Help him to become a better model of your words. I lift everything into your hands. To everyone reading this GODSPEED:) – Lenzie O. Winstead
AMEN!
Keep the Faith Chappy, you will be in my thoughts, think positive !!!
Just remember in a few weeks you will be making people happy !!!
Bruce of Bruce’s hot dog cartel .
THE LORD WILL WALK YOU IN AND HE WILL WALK YOU OUT ALSO, BLESS YOU CHAPPY YOU’RE IN ALL OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
May God be pleased on you, dear man, we pray for your recovery.
Chappy, I have complete faith in our health care system and in a Higher Authority that you will come through this surgery with flying colors and with a new perspective on how good life can be! Best to you fellow slinger, sure Steve will keep us posted! ~BobD aka “Franks” -Tasty- Hot Dogs
Chappy, best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Prayers are certainly going to support Chappy during this time! Having had a double bypass with the inclusion of a mechanical mitral valve I know that the recovery is a rough road and 6 weeks is a fair estimate of time to recover. The whole reason I have a cart and am trying to get my business off the ground is due to health issues that prevent me from holding down a ‘real’ job anymore. I’d not considered a back up plan myself but certainly should! I know that I’ve been teaching my wife and my 17 and 19 year old daughters the business as I go. I’d hope if I end up in Chappy’s situation they could step in and keep the cart running on my behalf. As one of the previous posters stated and I saw on a site elsewhere, I’ll be looking into Small Business Health Insurance as well. We take the time to insure the cart, insure against possible suits, shouldn’t we insure the most important part of the business as well? Ourselves? God Bless Chappy and may your nurses all be cute and flirty…
~Lonestar
oh i hear on the double bypass been there also and been thru 5 heart attacks and 3 stents that dont work. this is why im doing this also. i would like to be able to do a full time job but i enjoy the people i serve rather than the retail world at walmart. if and when i cant do this job no more i know my kids and grandkids will take over they love helping me out at the event. they think my new “RIPPER” hot dog is the best and fun thing to sell they like the peoples expression when they order it. its so big you know they cant eat it all. they all help me when i go to events and festivals. thank god for our family who is into this and help out when ever we are in need of help. keep slinging them hot dogs. NUTTIN BUT DAWGZ
After Steve’s email to me. An immediate response for “Chappy” to the Lord up in the Heavens. Stay strong, through this our brother.
Started praying after your email Steve! I’ll keep praying and for a speedy recovery too or a solution if Chappy can’t be on his feet for awhile! 🙂
Chappy, God Bless!
God will be with you, your never alone. I will pray for you a speedy recovery.
We wish only the best for you Chappy.
Steve keep us up to date please friend.
Hey Steve, I have prayed for Paul and would suggest to anyone who “Is not a praying person” to put God to the test and give it a shot.
Your question on the contingency plan is something everyone should think about in these times. We can’t be ready for every possible scenario or event in our lives but we can be standing on solid ground when something happens.
When my wife and I were married I had already spent several years in radio. That was 25 years ago and radio was an unstable business, (yes it’s worse now). I knew that my steady gig at the time could end any time. And any future job would most likely be the same thing. We needed a plan.
We agreed to save all we could while still having a “Life”. We have always driven used cars. We buy what we need and don’t make impulse purchases. We never carry a balance on any credit card because we don’t charge anything that can’t be paid off by the time the bill comes, (this is easier than you think) . We have always made extra payments on our mortgage and take the shortest term possible on our home loans. We have made wise investments when we do have extra money which takes time and research to figure out what will work for each of us.
It helps to be somewhat handy with tools for the things that we can do ourselves but knowing when to call in an expert can ultimately save you some money.
Bottom line is that I think most of your readers here have a lot of this down, doggers are inherently money smart in my opinion. Being as close to debt free as possible at the end of every month coupled with a decent emergency fund in savings is the best contingency plan you can have. Living within your means and diligent use of credit will get you there.
We have friends who have incomes two or three times what we have that are broke all the time and buried in debt. They sure drive nice cars though.
Merry Christmas,
Kevin
Good idea to see if a dogger can step into chappys shoe to keep things going. Customers need to ‘stay put’
Dear Paul,
I will be praying for you to get back on your feet again. God’s Blessings, Jim
Get a great picture and put it on a post card size stock paper. Create a new piece of advertising and take it to all the car dealers. Put it in there hand no email stuff. After 6 weeks of marketing you might need to take some RNR.
joe
My Prayers are with you Chappy, it’s my understanding that his ear is always inclined toward the voices of his children!! I have just finished building my EZ built cart, so just a little more cash and I will be able to go live, a few more steps. Concerning working my cart I’m hoping I can talk with a few friends that I know and trust that would like to make some extra money at times. Then the ones that are interested will train with me and once I’m comfortable with the consistancy of service and food and their comfort at running the cart I plan on offering opportunities for them to work. I may make less that day, but I would be helping them and hopefully if needed they will be there for me if needed. RockinDawgs-Steve Hampson
Get well quick. After looking at the pictures of your great cart, I can understand you not wanting to be gone for to long a period. You are in my prayers
Hot dog jim
Best of luck, Paul. I’ll be keeping you in my thoughts.
I wish I lived closer to you Paul because I’d be happy to help keep your cart going for you while you are recovering. Maybe there’s another cart owner out there who could help him out?
Add my prayers for Chappey to all the rest. I pray that the surgeon gives Chappey his best efforts to fix the heart problems. Ultimately it is God’s will that must be done. He is the great Healer. Ask and it shall be given …. I’m asking Lord, for your protection of our friend Chappey.
If Chaapey can’t get a family member or close friend to keep his cart going, I would at least put up a large sign saying why he is closed. I’ll bet Chappey wil be over-whelmed with concerned customers. I’m sure he has a large following and I would bet they will be there for him. About the lost income … I never thought of that. Rhonda’s idea to insure against loss is a terrific idea … one that I’m looking into now. Even though I’m partners with my daughter (she does most of the work), it would be nice to have that back-up.
Wishing you the best Chappey. God loves you so trust Him. Thanks for the tips Rhonda et.al.
Richard
DeBary, Florida
You know, Chappy, I believe everything happens for a reason. After reading all these wonderful notes of encouragement, I’ve realized two things. 1, There are a lot more Practicing Christians out there than most of us realize. 2. There is an excellent suggestion for us to get disability insurance. I’m sure not many of us had thought of that before. Your problem may save the rest of us from losing our shirts, and if that was the purpose our Master had in mind, I’d be willing to bet that you may not even have to have that surgery. But if you do, you will have a new life and be able to enjoy it even more.
And Steve, it’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice to be in a place here where we can openly say, “Merry Christmas, and God bless us…EVERYONE!”
Chappy your in my prayers buddy! God bless you and all of the selfless people who are praying for you. It is so heartening to see so many come together in Jesus name to pray for you. When God is with you who can be against you! Believe it not your already golden in Gods eyes.
Our best to you, Chappy! We pray that the doctors are blessed with the skills and knowledge needed to help you heal and get back to work. Your cart is VERY nice! I’m just starting to build my second one. We’ve created a good number of devoted fans our first year and need to expand out to other communities. Our best thoughts and prayers go to you. Best wishes from Sprockets Famous Hot Dogs LLC, Gowrie, IA.
I met paul once when he used to be in front of the social security building on deer park drive.Real nice fellow. I bought a dog from him. I will keep you in my prayers Paul. I would like to have lunch sometime. I also live in stockton ca and just finished building my cart. Thanks Paul for the advice you gave me. You are truely a great part of our vending community. Ps Ill be in front of home depot on Sampson rd. On Friday and Saturday. Hope the weather is good.
You’re on the wrong side of the world. I would liked to have volunteered.
Brother, you are in our prayers, God bless you, we await your quick return.
hi steve iam not a praying one but ill say one for chappy..how about giveing us a heads up on how he is doing thanks
Hello Chappy!!
Thanking and praising God in advance for your miraculous healing. I believe that the Dr. needing to delay the surgery is just God’s way of letting you know that he is ALWAYS in control. I can’t wait to hear your awesome testimony.
Great minds think alot!
Hot DiggityDog & Co.
God Bless You, Chappy, and your family.
In March of 2010 I had to stop work on my cart building, but I am finally able now to start (and finish) my cart. I have had wonderful friends (including you Steve) that have been there helping me get back on my feet and I thank God every day for His help and that of my friends, even the ones that didn’t know how serious my problems were. Trust God, He knows what we are facing. Without my Faith in Him this would have been a real hell on Earth.
I have been praying for two days for your recovery, Chappy, and for your family. I know He hears all of our prayers.
Skip
James 5 says that the effectual fervant prayer of a righteous man availeth much. you are in mine and our churches prayers Chappy
we serve a BIG GOD. He is not only the great physician but the God of all GRACE.
John Swanson
Soon to be
RIVER CITY DOGS
Hi Chappy,
Hope all went well with your surgery. The Lord and your customers need you back in the saddle out there !
Get well soon and Happy Holidays to you 🙂
BobDog55
Prayers going up from Dayton Ohio. My husband is a diabetic and out of work right now. It’s tough when you have a satisfying job to not be able to work. God can and does hear us. I wish we were there, we’d handle the cart for you while you were out.
God bless you Chappy, you are in my Prayers. Hope you have a speedy recovery.
Chappy, I am a fellow dog slinger in Wisconsin, but for the winter months I am here in Temecula California,just got here from a two week vacation in Hawaii.If you want to keep your cart going I can come help you out.Please let me know.Mary
I’ll put you two in touch with each other. THANKS MARY!!!!!
I wish you a swift recovery!
Three cheers and multiple blessings to you Mary!! Thats the way to live your life! Hope you are doing well Chappy…..
Rhonda
i am prayin for chappy to get better soon. mabey he has a contigency plan like mine. put my darling wife to work pushin dogs. lol. get well soon. ed
I like your plan!