When life refocuses you on what really matters

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgann.bsky.social

It’s at times like this when life slaps you in the forehead by surprise and refocuses you on what matters.

As you read this, I’m at Paoli Hospital awaiting transfer Monday morning to Lankenau Hospital for quadruple coronary bypass on Wednesday. It is a bit scary (and amazingly all started with a back issue) and it tends to focus you on what matters.

Obviously, my immediate focus is family, my wife Stephanie, daughter Janet, son Kenny and stepsons Eddy and Greg. The thought of things not going well (a tiny chance, granted) brings closer the people and things you treasure.

But after more than 40 years as a journalist, I remain focused on the work and you, the reader. And while it might have been tempting to lay low and stop calling out Donald Trump, I actually feel more motivated.

As a journalist, the truth matters to me. I won’t run those scammy ads that you see on so many other news sites — no judgment, people have to meet payrolls. But it doesn’t change my sense of what is right and wrong. I don’t trust that those are advertisers I can trust and don’t want to share them with you (that means when local businesses run ads here you I know I trust them and you can too).

Write this off as “fake news” and yes, there are plenty of things to criticize in today’s broken corporate media, but Trump is a terrible person who never should have been elected. This isn’t about policy — granted I have a lot of issues with policy and Trump — he is a bad person.

He lies relentlessly. He has cheated on every spouse. He is racist. He is sexist. He cares mostly about revenge against anyone he perceives as having wronged him (things like pointing out his lies, failures or failing to vote for him). He has no respect for our military or what is best for this country and its citizens. Trump cares only about Trump, the rest of us be damned.

Trump has inspired the worst of us to send slavery notices to black folks and tell women “your body, my choice.”

While much of Chester County — that former Republican stronghold — has rejected him for three straight elections, there are many of our friends and neighbors who voted for him. Reasons? Some like his anger and want to see others suffer. Some base it on the economy (despite the fact that the economy has fared better under Democrats for decades). Some are racist or sexist. Some are deeply misinformed (I know people who support abortion rights, or gay rights or legalizing marijuana who voted for him, thinking he shared their positions), while others just want to see the world burn.

And yeah, little of that should be news to you. You probably have friends or relatives that support Trump.

Dealing with them and the greater chaos of the next four years is going to suck. For a lot of us.

So, the easy option is hide and wait for the storm to blow over and hope we recognize the world left remaining. Or we can keep telling the truth, regardless of the repercussions. I sense a lot of media outlets — especially big corporate ones — will hide. They’ve seen the threats against media (in and of itself reason to oppose Trump and his minions) and are choosing what they think is the safe route.

I disagree. If you can’t tell the truth, why bother? Just fold up your tent and go home.

I can’t — and won’t — do that. If this brush with serious illness reminded me of anything, it is to hold close what matters. The truth matters. And you will continue to see it expressed on these pages.

***

Point of personal privilege: I want to shout out to all the folks at Paoli Hospital and thank them for their excellent care.

From nursing staff (they keep medicine running on the hospital level) to doctors to staff, everyone has been really great here. I’m biased, but I think Main Line Health is the best health care organization in the area.

***

The last thing I want to share is the importance of watching your health. Coronary issues run deep in my family (few males have lived to see age 60 as I have)…my Uncle Bob, who passed at 76 in July, had two separate bypass surgeries and lived that long because he took care to watch what was happening with his health. Our family — McGanns — have the gene that spikes cholesterol, regardless of diet.

I’ve been seeing a cardiologist for more than a year and it wasn’t surprise when it became clear I needed bypass — I’d been on statins and working out to improve my health (and watching my diet probably still not as well as I need to) and it is why I’m still here to type this.

Do yourself a favor: if you haven’t gotten a check up, please consider it. Not just for you, but for all the people who love you.

You matter. Take care of yourself. Resist the temptation to say everything will be okay if you wait — my daughter (especially my daughter), son and wife insisted I come to the hospital and overwhelmed my brief thought that I was just suffering from a stomach issue.

Thank you to everyone who has wished me well on social media — your kind thoughts mean more to mean than you will ever know.