The American public owes a huge thank you to astronaut Mark Kelly for sharing his wife’s, Gabrielle Giffords, recovery from a gunshot wound to the head.
As we all know, Giffords, a U.S. representative from Tucson, Ariz., was attacked a couple weeks back when hosting a casual conversation with her constituents in the parking lot of a Safeway grocery store. Six others were killed in the rampage; 13 wounded.
And now Americans want a miracle.
So typical of our nature, we expect Gabby to come full circle and get back to normal. So that we can.
Hopefully, astronaut Kelly won’t let us off the hook so easily and will continue to provide us an inside track to what likely will be an arduous recovery.
She’s already beaten the odds for victims of gunshot wounds to the brain. Ninety percent die.
To accommodate the swelling from the trauma of the gunshot coursing through her brain, part of her skull has been removed. Giffords wears a helmet to protect her vulnerable brain. She’s also very susceptible to seizures, the docs say.
A drain remains in place to remove excess fluid buildup because it’s still not circulating properly through her brain.
She has no movement in her left arm; her left leg has “some tone;” vision in both eyes is uncertain, as is her speech.
As we follow Giffords’ recovery, we’re learning a new vocabulary. Tone, for example, refers to the body’s responsiveness to stimulation. We’re learning the difference between occupational and physical therapies.
Relearning how to eat, get dressed, take care of one’s personal hygiene all fall under the category of occupational therapy and are every bit as draining as learning how to put one foot in front of the other.
The simple task of holding a hairbrush can be either an exercise in extreme frustration or merit a hallelujah! Same with that first word or first nod of recognition. It’s also difficult for family members to try not to remember Giffords’ former life but concentrate only on her future successes, much like that of an infant.
If all goes perfectly, Rep. Giffords will remain in the Houston hospital another few weeks undergoing intense rehabilitation until she is able to go home.
For some patients, that’s a difficult transition because they’re removed from that very supportive environment of round-the-clock therapists/cheerleaders. At home, so much of their recovery depends on their determination. Discouragement comes easier. Tempers flare; the tears of anger and the injustice of it all are hard to stymie.
But what we know of our Miss Gabby is that she’s a woman of grace who will do her best to continue to beat the odds.
WHAT CAN WE do to help? Pray, certainly.
And as a country stand up, finally, to the powerful interests that make owning a gun a right, and not a privilege. How many more need needlessly be victims of violence by guns before we take a stand as a country that guns, simply, should not be so easily available.
For Gabby’s sake, let’s keep the focus on where we’ve gone wrong.
— Susan Lynn
