By Douglas V. Gibbs
News that Gabrielle Giffords is sure to recover, and that she has given a thumbs up as she responds to basic questions, is encouraging. Holding the hand of her husband, Giffords has been given a 101% chance by doctors to recover. That is fantastic news. The head injury was caused by a bullet passing through her skull, discharged by a gun fired at point-blank range by Jared Loughner.
Though I am not an expert on surviving a bullet to the head, I do know what it is like to recover from a severe head injury. When I was nineteen years old I suffered a left temporal fracture. A temporal fracture, or a broken temple, is a head injury that has a high mortality rate, and leaves most survivors with severe brain traumas, especially one as severe as the one I experienced.
The damage to my skull caused spinal fluid, the fluid that surrounds your brain, to leak out of my left ear for three days. Brain damage on the left side of my brain, and the bruising on the right side of my brain, was extensive. I was unable to breath on my own, requiring a respirator to breath for me for about a week and a half. I was in a deep coma for a week and a half as well, later responding to basic stimuli though still not fully cognizant for a couple months.
I had to learn to walk again while suffering from many epileptic seizures. Neurological damage still affects me to this day.
Based on my experiences, I believe Giffords is in for a long and difficult recovery. I only hope that she is able to return to a level close to what she was before the injury. It took me years to recover to the point that I am now.
I pray for a swift recovery for Congresswoman Giffords.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Congresswoman raises 2 fingers, gives thumbs-up - Associated Press/Yahoo News
New pictures of Congresswoman's recovery - KVOA
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