Ingram's June 2026

BETWEEN THE LINES

whom France is that greener pasture. Antoine then pulled up his pant legs to reveal two artificial limbs. The infection would continue to eat away at his extremities, including his nose and ears. The doctors gave him either deux ans or douze ans , two years or 12, to live. I chose not to ask for clarification. A naturally athletic guy, Antoine continued to walk heroic distances every day. He enthusiastically showed his pedometer to confirm his effort. Later, he showed me how he could drive the car. “I admire your tenacity,” I told him, moved to the point of speechlessness. “I try,” he said, “but there are days I can do nothing but cry.” Tearing up, Gabrielle nodded her head in affirm- ation. We had one more point of extraor dinary coincidence. The year we lived in Malzéville, my 2-year-old daughter, Margaret, fell off her bike and infected her elbow. After some cursory care at a

rounds. In the meantime, Margaret was to lie in a bed untreated. As the French were about to under stand, there is no force in nature quite like an American parent denied. I will spare the details here, but I turned total a**hole for the next two hours and had Margaret in surgery by 10 a.m. That surgery saved her arm and, as I see now, maybe her life. As I saw at the Children’s Hospital, people who live in socialized systems often lack the instinct to fight the system. I wish I knew Antoine when he needed an American a**hole by his side, but I didn’t. Knowing his story now, I would ask for prayers for Antoine, Gabrielle and la petite Rose. This wasn’t coincidence at work; I am convinced. This was provi dence.

French doctors with any talent flee the confines of

nearby clinic, Margaret awoke the next morning with a 105-degree temperature and an arm swollen to her shoulder like a sausage. I took her into the nearby Children’s Hospital at 8 a.m. and was told I had just missed the “grand patron.” He would be back at 5 p.m. to make his the nation’s state-run health system for greener pastures abroad. Taking their place are third-worlders for whom France is that greener pasture. The results are, sadly, predictable.

The views expressed in this column, which is also published online in the Heartlander, are the writer’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Ingram’s Magazine. Jack Cashill , Senior Editor, Editorial @ Ingrams.com

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