Gabby Giffords Resigns: All Right, Mr. Speaker, NOW You Can Cry

The Speaker didn’t disappoint as Congresswoman Giffords was helped to the podium to hand him her letter of resignation. Her friend and colleague Debbie Wasserman-Schultz also fought tears during the ceremony where she read Giffords’ farewell .

The country is learning, along with Giffords’ family, that recovery from brain injury is complex, and deficient in traditional happy endings, even for people who, like Gabby, have the best of care. Brain-injured soldiers are returning in great numbers from Iraq and Afghanistan, to whatever the VA can offer, but brain-injured civilians face enormous obstacles to getting the rehab they need to face what will inevitably be an altered life.

Followers of this blog know that our own StrangeAppar8us* is now a member of the community of TBI sufferers. There is a great deal that can be done to help them, and so I hope that Gabrielle Giffords might find a new purpose in speaking for the people who don’t have access to the care she did, because while TBI means confronting some sobering realities, there is no good reason for the brain-injured not to recover as much of their abilities as possible.

There is a book, Head Cases, which delineates some of the problems the brain-injured encounter, as well as presenting the stories of some brain-injured people, but I confess finding it too painful to continue reading. YMMV, I hope.

*I will be posting an update on Strange, and the progress of his fund, shortly.

Posted by Mrs. Polly on 01/25/12 at 12:46 PM • Permalink

Categories: News •

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Here’s a link to a video of the scene in the House. Don’t click if you don’t have 10 minutes to bawl your eyes out. I like Debbie Wasserman Schultz even more now, and damned if I don’t sorta have a soft spot for Orange Julius.

Great suggestion on Rep. Giffords’ future career. I look forward to an update on our dear colleague Strange too.

Comment by Betty Cracker on 01/25/12 at 01:22 PM

Thanks for the link, Betty. I was wrestling with C-Span, which LIED about containing the moving tribute within their stultifying 43 minutes of House video.

Did get to see what Joe Wilson sounds like when he’s not catcalling from the back of the room, though.

He should go back to catcalling.

Comment by Mrs. Polly on 01/25/12 at 01:27 PM

Here’s an excerpt from Soonergrunt’s post of a few weeks back over at Cole’s place:

One of my good and dear friends is about to be discharged with 100% disability from the Army. At 32 years old, he can’t remember what day it is, and sometimes he can’t remember if he’s back here in the states, or in Germany, or in Afghanistan where he got hurt.

Traumatic Brain Injury is the signature wound of these current wars. Gerald, who is one of the smartest people I know, just chatted with me on Facebook and couldn’t remember that I was retired, or that one of the last official acts I carried out was pinning his Sergeant’s stripes on him. Because he couldn’t remember being a Sergeant, unless he sees the rank on his chest.His wife, Lisa tells me that he occasionally can’t remember her name. “I can see that he knows I’m important to him, but he struggles with that sometimes.”

Comment by meepmeep09 on 01/25/12 at 04:31 PM

I spent most of the day at my office blubbering over the footage (and I am crying again now) and I have to say about Orange Julius that yes, it was appropriate to cry. Debbie, as strong as she is “I didn’t prepare anything cause I knew I was gonna lose it” was painful to watch. I wish the very best for Gabby and her recovery. I will finish by saying that I hope Snowbilly roasts in her own personal hell. If I was Satan I would think that being shot in the head several times a day would be appropriate, but I am not Satan and I do not set his agenda, I am sure he has something that he thinks is fitting.

Comment by Litlebritdifrnt on 01/25/12 at 07:22 PM

Almost four years ago, a friend of mine collapsed at work - no warning, just a sudden and complete cardiac arrest. Other workers started CPR, and luckily there was an emergency team with a defibrillator close by.

He survived, but with profound anoxic brain damage. He and his wife have worked so hard. Everything is different now, but I am so relieved to know that like Gabby Giffords, the essence of my friend is still there. He’s still there, damaged but present. Same as Gabby. The damage is awful, but the presence is exquisite.

My friend was stricken on February 29. We told him that his choice of date was clever on account of how he wouldn’t have to observe it for four whole years. What’s cool is that he’s become able to get the joke.

Comment by Larkspur on 01/25/12 at 09:33 PM

Great suggestion on Rep. Giffords’ future career. I look forward to an update on our dear colleague Strange too.

me too.

Comment by Rebecca on 01/25/12 at 09:42 PM

Larkspur, that was an immensely moving account of what happened to your friend, and “the presence is exquisite” precisely describes the sharp and bittersweet joy of knowing that he is indeed the same person, and still there.

It’s exactly the case with Strange: he’s still himself, still brilliant, funny, and above all, a deeply sweet, loving person. I will be putting up a post about him this week. I’ve been having some difficulty writing about him, and writing in general, but the news about him isn’t bad at all, and you all deserve an update on both him and on your wonderful, generous contributions to his fund.