The launch of the shuttle Endeavor may have been scrubbed, but the day still marks a major achievement for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. She left her rehabilitation hospital in Houston for the first time since January in order to watch the launch. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is commanding the mission.
Giffords has not been seen publicly since she was shot in the head during an event in Tuscon, Arizona on January 8th. The nation has closely watched her recovery. Doctors say recovery from brain injuries like hers is measured in months and years, not days and weeks. Her doctors are viewing the trip as part of her rehabilitation, and she is "medically able" to travel. She was planning to watch the launch in private.
According to a TIME article, the doctors overseeing her rehabilitation say she is in the top 5% of patients recuperating from similar injuries. She still has difficulty walking and talking, but is getting better at stringing together longer phrases and even sentences. She also laughs and jokes with her husband, and plays board games with him.
Brain injury experts say Rep. Giffords appears to be progressing as well as can be expected. In a Washington Post article, the president of the Brain Injury Association of America described what kind of treatments are common for this kind of injury. Susan Connors says exercises often focus on restoring muscular and other physical functions, like speech, psycho-social capacity, and cognitive functions. After the initial rehabilitation, patients would then focus on regaining life skills, like bathing and cooking.
Rep. Giffords' doctors say that while she is progressing, she still has a lot of rehabilitation in front of her.
