Gabby Giffords.
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented Arizona's 8th congressional district since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Giffords is currently serving her third term in the United States House of Representatives, having been re-elected in the 2010 midterm elections. Considered a "Blue Dog" Democrat,[1] her stances on health care reform and illegal immigration were sources of attention for those opposed to her candidacy and have made her a recipient of criticism from various conservative groups. She has described herself as a "former Republican."[2]
Giffords is a native of Tucson, Arizona, and a graduate of Scripps College and Cornell University. Prior to her election to Congress, Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona State Senate from 2003 until 2005, when she resigned to run for the seat held by then-Congressman Jim Kolbe. She also worked as an associate for regional economic development in New York City and as CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local automotive chain owned by her grandfather. She is married to former astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Mark E. Kelly.
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head[3] outside a Safeway grocery store in Casas Adobes, Arizona, a suburban area northwest of Tucson, during her first "Congress on Your Corner" gathering of the year. A man ran up to the crowd and began firing,[29] hitting nineteen people[30] of whom six died;[31] a twentieth person was injured at the scene, but not by gunfire.[3][30]
The suspect, identified as Jared Lee Loughner,[32] was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody.[33] Federal officials charged Loughner on the next day with killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress, and attempting to kill federal employees.[34][35][36]
Giffords' intern, Daniel Hernandez Jr., provided first aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded and is credited with saving her life.[37][38][39] She was promptly evacuated to the University Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition,[3][40] though she was still conscious and "following commands" at the time.[3][41]
On the same day, doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount of necrotic tissue from her brain.[3][42] The bullet had passed through Giffords' head without crossing the midline of the brain, where the most critical injuries typically result.[3] Part of her skull was removed to avoid further damage to the brain from pressure caused by swelling.[3][41] Civilian doctors who first treated Giffords said the bullet had entered the back of her head and exited through the front of her skull, but experienced military physicians later concluded that it had traveled in the opposite direction.[43]
Upon receiving a call from a staffer about Giffords' injury, husband Mark E. Kelly and his daughters flew in a friend's aircraft directly from Houston to Tucson.[44][45]
Recovery
Giffords' husband, Mark E. Kelly, at her bedside in the University Medical Center in Tucson.
Giffords initially was placed in an induced coma to allow her brain to rest. She was able to respond to simple commands when periodically awoken, but was unable to speak as she was on a ventilator.[46] Nancy Pelosi said Giffords' husband Mark Kelly acknowledged that there is a "rough road ahead" for his wife's recovery, but was encouraged by her responsiveness,[47] which included the ability to signal with her hand and move both arms.[48] U.S. Army neurologist Geoffrey Ling of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, was sent to Tucson to consult on Giffords' condition. Ling stated, "Her prognosis for maintaining the function that she has is very good. It's over 50 percent."[49] On January 11, neurosurgeon G. Michael Lemole Jr. said that Giffords' sedation had been reduced and that she could breathe on her own.[50] On January 12, President Barack Obama visited Giffords at the medical center and publicly stated in an evening memorial ceremony that she had "opened her eyes for the first time" that day.[51] Shortly after the shootings, some questions were raised by the media as to whether Giffords could be removed from office under a state law that allows a public office to be declared vacant if the officeholder is absent for three months, but a spokesperson for the Arizona secretary of state said the statute "doesn't apply to federal offices" and is, therefore, not relevant.[52]
As Giffords' status improved, by mid-January she began simple physical therapy,[53] including sitting up with the assistance of hospital staff and moving her legs upon command.[45] On January 15, surgeons performed a tracheotomy, replacing the ventilator tube with a smaller one inserted through Giffords' throat to assist independent breathing.[54][55] Ophthalmologist Lynn Polonski surgically repaired Giffords' damaged eye socket,[56] with additional reconstructive surgery to follow.[57] Giffords' condition was upgraded to "serious" on January 17,[58] and to "good" on January 25.[59] She was transferred on January 21 to the Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston, Texas, where she subsequently moved to the center's Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) to undergo a program of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.[59][60] Medical experts' initial assessment in January was that Giffords' recovery could take from several months to more than one year.[61] Upon her arrival in Houston, her doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".[62]
On March 12, 2011, Giffords' husband informed her that six other people had been killed in the attack on her, but he did not identify who they were until months later.[63] In late April, Giffords' doctors reported that her physical, cognitive, and language production abilities had improved significantly, placing her in the top 5 percent of patients recovering from similar injuries.[64] She was walking under supervision with perfect control of her left arm and leg, and able to write with her left hand. She was able to read and understand, and spoke in short phrases. With longer efforts, she was able to produce more complex sentences.[64]
Giffords is a native of Tucson, Arizona, and a graduate of Scripps College and Cornell University. Prior to her election to Congress, Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona State Senate from 2003 until 2005, when she resigned to run for the seat held by then-Congressman Jim Kolbe. She also worked as an associate for regional economic development in New York City and as CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local automotive chain owned by her grandfather. She is married to former astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Mark E. Kelly.
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head[3] outside a Safeway grocery store in Casas Adobes, Arizona, a suburban area northwest of Tucson, during her first "Congress on Your Corner" gathering of the year. A man ran up to the crowd and began firing,[29] hitting nineteen people[30] of whom six died;[31] a twentieth person was injured at the scene, but not by gunfire.[3][30]
The suspect, identified as Jared Lee Loughner,[32] was detained by bystanders until he was taken into police custody.[33] Federal officials charged Loughner on the next day with killing federal government employees, attempting to assassinate a member of Congress, and attempting to kill federal employees.[34][35][36]
Giffords' intern, Daniel Hernandez Jr., provided first aid assistance to her immediately after she was wounded and is credited with saving her life.[37][38][39] She was promptly evacuated to the University Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition,[3][40] though she was still conscious and "following commands" at the time.[3][41]
On the same day, doctors performed emergency surgery to extract skull fragments and a small amount of necrotic tissue from her brain.[3][42] The bullet had passed through Giffords' head without crossing the midline of the brain, where the most critical injuries typically result.[3] Part of her skull was removed to avoid further damage to the brain from pressure caused by swelling.[3][41] Civilian doctors who first treated Giffords said the bullet had entered the back of her head and exited through the front of her skull, but experienced military physicians later concluded that it had traveled in the opposite direction.[43]
Upon receiving a call from a staffer about Giffords' injury, husband Mark E. Kelly and his daughters flew in a friend's aircraft directly from Houston to Tucson.[44][45]
Recovery
Giffords' husband, Mark E. Kelly, at her bedside in the University Medical Center in Tucson.
Giffords initially was placed in an induced coma to allow her brain to rest. She was able to respond to simple commands when periodically awoken, but was unable to speak as she was on a ventilator.[46] Nancy Pelosi said Giffords' husband Mark Kelly acknowledged that there is a "rough road ahead" for his wife's recovery, but was encouraged by her responsiveness,[47] which included the ability to signal with her hand and move both arms.[48] U.S. Army neurologist Geoffrey Ling of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, was sent to Tucson to consult on Giffords' condition. Ling stated, "Her prognosis for maintaining the function that she has is very good. It's over 50 percent."[49] On January 11, neurosurgeon G. Michael Lemole Jr. said that Giffords' sedation had been reduced and that she could breathe on her own.[50] On January 12, President Barack Obama visited Giffords at the medical center and publicly stated in an evening memorial ceremony that she had "opened her eyes for the first time" that day.[51] Shortly after the shootings, some questions were raised by the media as to whether Giffords could be removed from office under a state law that allows a public office to be declared vacant if the officeholder is absent for three months, but a spokesperson for the Arizona secretary of state said the statute "doesn't apply to federal offices" and is, therefore, not relevant.[52]
As Giffords' status improved, by mid-January she began simple physical therapy,[53] including sitting up with the assistance of hospital staff and moving her legs upon command.[45] On January 15, surgeons performed a tracheotomy, replacing the ventilator tube with a smaller one inserted through Giffords' throat to assist independent breathing.[54][55] Ophthalmologist Lynn Polonski surgically repaired Giffords' damaged eye socket,[56] with additional reconstructive surgery to follow.[57] Giffords' condition was upgraded to "serious" on January 17,[58] and to "good" on January 25.[59] She was transferred on January 21 to the Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston, Texas, where she subsequently moved to the center's Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) to undergo a program of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.[59][60] Medical experts' initial assessment in January was that Giffords' recovery could take from several months to more than one year.[61] Upon her arrival in Houston, her doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".[62]
On March 12, 2011, Giffords' husband informed her that six other people had been killed in the attack on her, but he did not identify who they were until months later.[63] In late April, Giffords' doctors reported that her physical, cognitive, and language production abilities had improved significantly, placing her in the top 5 percent of patients recovering from similar injuries.[64] She was walking under supervision with perfect control of her left arm and leg, and able to write with her left hand. She was able to read and understand, and spoke in short phrases. With longer efforts, she was able to produce more complex sentences.[64]
Replies
She has made unbelievable strides....but her life and that of her family will never be the same......
Yes she has made wonderful progress but she still has a long recovery ahead of her