Courtesy of ABC News:
In the 10 months since a bullet to the brain left her in critical condition, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords has relearned how to talk -- a feat partly credited to music therapy.
Giffords suffered from aphasia -- the inability to speak because of damage to the language pathways in her brain's left hemisphere. But by layering words on top of melody and rhythm, she trained her brain to use a less-traveled pathway to the same destination.
Very emotional video so you might not want to watch it during work hours.
I choked up a couple of times and I'm all tough and everything.
ABC did a good job and I found myself both cringing and joyful at Gabby's initial challenges and amazing progress.
The above is only a portion of the interview, and I have not yet been able to locate the whole thing, however here is more from You Tube (Which focuses on the painful recovery)and even more from Mediaite (Which has more of the 20/20 interview).
You know I pride myself on being tough, I rarely get sick even is a house full of ill people, sleep only a few hours a night, and still have the energy and strength of somebody half my age, but I freely admit that I am humbled by the tenacity and force of will demonstrated by this woman. She is essentially the irresistible force incarnate.
Courtesy of 
I will never forget sarah palin's crosshairs that caused this.
ReplyDeleteGryphen - I agree with your assessment of Cong. Giffords. Truely a remarkable woman. But let's also remember the other remarkable people in this story: her husband,family and the extraordinary medical staff. She is in great hands.
ReplyDeleteI love how they skewered palin, after this touching interview they mentioned and showed how it was her map with the cross hairs. Mark Kelly mentions in the book how he thought palin would call to apologize but of course she never did. the weeks of silence from screech have been fabulous!
ReplyDeleteSome C4Pers are upset that Gabby Giffords' hasn't made any effort to clear Sarah's good name. Example:
ReplyDelete"I hoped that after all these months that finally, giffords would state that it is NOT okay just to blame conservatives/ sarah palin for what happened."
Gee, I wonder if Gabby Giffords has more important things to worry about than the mean things people said about Sarah Palin months and months ago. The woman was shot in the head, for God's sake.
Every time I think they've hit bottom, they manage to exceed expectations.
In Case You Missed It Here Is The Incredible, Awe-Inspiring Interview With Gabby Giffords
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/gabby-giffords-interview-diane-sawyer-2011-11
Courage and Hope, Full episode
ReplyDeletehttp://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55153303/gabby-giffords--mark-kelly-courage-and-hope
Sarah Palin Has a Serpent's Heart has a link posted that I just watched. Isn't that the whole thing?
ReplyDeleteIs there more? That was a long link with 4 commercial breaks and was breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. What a woman!
I watched this with my husband and several times we both were in tears. Her husband Mark truly loves her. Him video tapping her and sharing it with us was a selfless thing to do. The love the two of them share is so evident and wonderful. I believe it has a lot to do with her healing.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed to have a husband like Mark Kelly.
Bless them both. And continued healing to Gabby.
It is touching but wtill tragic. I do not think she has the same cognitive function anymore. That is unspeakably tragic. She has made remarkable strides and will continue to rewire her brain...but so much has been lost.I do thank all the doctors, nurses, therapists and family members who helped her to get this far.Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me hate Palin all over again. However, even on Gabby's worst day, she is ten times smarted than any Palin.
I watched both 20/20 and the Nightline coverage of Giffords. THIS is someone we need to keep in government. It gives me hope that Congress isn't just a refuge for vapid shitheads like Michele Bachmann, but has bona fide heroes like Gabby Giffords.
ReplyDeleteIf her recovery over the next 6 months continues at a similar pace to what she's been achieving, I fully expect her to make the May filing date and be re-elected by record levels. Given what she has achieved so far, I would not bet against this woman, ever.
Let me say as a professional musician who is marred to a music therapist, we cheered loudly as we watched Giffords' music therapist help bring back from that fog of traumatic brain injury. I am damn proud to be part of such a noble profession. Music therapy is NOT just "musical play," but is a real clinical discipline that can have profound usefulness in many therapeutic settings. Music is one of the things that makes us human. Giffords could sing whole sentences when she had trouble saying individual words. THAT is the power of music. Not to be overly dramatic, but without that music therapy, Giffords might not have achieved anything other than the grim future that her doctors initially predicted.
So, by all means, let's cut music and arts education from our public schools. After all, it's just a frill, right?
If Gabby Giffords ever decides to run for president, I'm on board.
Music rocks!
8:44AM -
ReplyDeleteOf course "the screech" is going to be on GVS tonight to clear herself again.
An inspiration. Thank you, Gryphen. Gabby is more radiantly beautiful than ever, and I don't mean only her gorgeous looks. And so is her husband.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI will never forget sarah palin's crosshairs that caused this.
8:34 AM"
True! Suck it, Sarah Palin! THIS is what real love looks like, your husband will bail if you ever require his care.
If this had been a conservative sitting there, rather than saying she wasn't angry at JL because he was mentally ill, she'd have said "this is why we need the death penalty!"
" Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMark Kelly mentions in the book how he thought palin would call to apologize but of course she never did.
8:44 AM"
She is a very small person, isn't she? Graceless. No decency, even fake decency. She can't even try to fake being decent and kind. Just yucky Sarah Palin being her gross self.
But, of course, Sarah Palin was the real victim here--even though she didn't take a bullet--so why should she apologize for anything?
I was fine until "tell my wife I love her very much, she knows . . . " Then came the tears. H/T to David Bowie.
ReplyDeleteAND to Mark Kelly and U2!
Bless you, Gabby. Wonder if Caribou Crosshairs watched this? Nah! She might learn what a real (rill) American looks like . . .
I would LOVE to get my hands on Palin's e-mail address...and bombard her mailbox with this.
ReplyDeleteThe murderous bitch still has her "crosshairs" up!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=373854973434
Trust Granny $arah to not wish Gabby well, and to show no compassion for the people who were shot.
ReplyDeleteRill 'Mericans are only going to be sympathetic if you're a non-Rino Republican *and* if you're the right type of Xtian.
Never underestimate the power of music!
ReplyDeleteLondon Bridges
Smile Gabby, Smile, and the world will smile with you!
ReplyDeletePure Inspiration on every level.
Today I saw a gentleman looking at her book at Walmart. I noticed that he appeared to have some degree of mental impairment. It struck me that as incredible as her story is to most people, how much more inspirational it may be to others.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in Neuro, we also often used music to get messages across to the brain that had been damaged in the left hemisphere. Language is linear and located in the Broca area of the brain. Music is 'gestalt', 'all-at-once'. It theorized to reside more in the right hemisphere. In some people it can be used as a detour from the usual brain's road map to access information, such as the meaning of a word, or how to say a word you want to say.
Gabby has come a long way with her recovery. My hopes and best wishes go with her on this journey.
The whole thing is on hulu. (type in hulu.com then search 20/20. i watched it this morning. and it's on the free version)
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing.
Gabby is great and Palin WAS mentioned.
Warren and Giffords...2016!
ReplyDeleteSo word on the pee is that screech will endorse a GOP candidate tonight....sure she will. I bet they are all calling her to beg her NOT to endorse them.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, she 0-2 last week. The thrill is gone, Scarah. The donations are next.
Meanwhile, Gabby is gracious, in love, and loved by all.
Hey, Mr. Gryph, I'm one of those sick-all-the-time, can never get enough sleep, totally non-tough, and I bawled like a baby to think that I'd feel the least bit down over my chronic troubles when this woman and her family have triumphed in such tragedy. This is a story that touches the strong and uplifts the weak. WHAT A LOSS if we'd lost Gabby Giffords, and what a loss of the six who died. No words for this, just no words, but a heart full of thanks.
ReplyDeleteScott Conroy has a new article on what SP has been up to and she's going to talk about it with Greata tonight. Hopefully she's insignificant enough now that it doesn't get much traction...but leave it to her to come up with another way to milk her supporters and try and stay relevant politically.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that with the lovely report on Gabby that this will just serve as a reminder of her blood libel speech.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/11/14/palins_crony_capitalism_mantra_gets_60_minutes_boost_112059.html
"Rill 'Mericans are only going to be sympathetic if you're a non-Rino Republican *and* if you're the right type of Xtian."
ReplyDelete===================
In other words, a nasty, stupid loudmouth jerk.
Anon 8:34, you are incredibly ignorant!
ReplyDeleteYou're all so ignorant but THIS takes the cake:
ReplyDeleteTrue! Suck it, Sarah Palin! THIS is what real love looks like, your husband will bail if you ever require his care.
If this had been a conservative sitting there, rather than saying she wasn't angry at JL because he was mentally ill, she'd have said "this is why we need the death penalty!"
----
Grow up and learn something.
Yes because Mr Loughter (sp), back in 2007 when he first set his sights on Gabby, looked to the future using his delorean or mental prowess and gathered all his inspiration.
ReplyDeletePeople here are ridiculous today.
great article about what Mark kelly wrote in his book about screech; http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/193739-giffords-was-troubled-by-palin-crosshairs
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful!
ReplyDeletePoor Sarah. No guilty conscience. No college degrees. No baby birth certificate. A loveless marriage. Kids that are drop-out do nothings. No TV special hour about her accomplishments. She's everything that Gabby isn't. A coward and shameless sham.
Sarah Palin, you need to contemplate on how you purposely twisted the quote by Madeline Albright that should have read, "There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't HELP other women."
If you don't change your hateful ways, I'm sure there's a fire's belly waiting to eat you up.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/193739-giffords-was-troubled-by-palin-crosshairs
ReplyDeleteHe writes that Palin, who was contemplating a presidential bid at the time, never called although he was told by Palin adviser John Coale that "Sarah and her husband, Todd, were 'devastated' by the tragedy."
Palin, at the time, posted a note on her Facebook page: "My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice," she wrote.
But Kelly writes: "I thought Sarah Palin might call to say she wished Gabby well and that she was praying for her and the other victims. We heard from many Republicans offering heart-felt messages. Given that a lot of the discussion in the wake of the shooting had singled out Palin, I expected she might also want to clear the air."
He even imagined what he would say to Palin, writing he planned to "graciously accept her words of consolation" and then add his own thoughts: "'You are not responsible,' I planned to tell Sarah Palin, 'But you are irresponsible.'"
But "she never called," he notes.
Kelly and Giffords' book was released Tuesday.
I too watched the 20/20, then nightline. Bob Woodruff, Gabby Giffords, and Jill Bolte Taylor are heroes.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend had a severe TBI and brain sheer a few years before we started dating. He was in a coma for 8 days. He had to learn to walk and talk again.
It can be a struggle at times to watch him seem so normal, yet see things that remind me that he was injured severely. He sleeps a lot still and I know from reading Jill Bolte Tayor's My Stroke of Insight, that sleep on any kind of brain injury is good.
My B/F has a connection with music that is nothing short of amazing.
The emotional toll TBI takes is devastating. Gabby is blessed to have so much love and support from people who are SO AWARE!
If you ever want to spend 18 minutes of your life on another amazing woman, head over to TED Talks and search out Jill Bolte Taylor. She is a brain scientist who realized during her stroke, that she was actually having a stroke. Her first thought was, "HOW COOL!"
I believe she has accomplished a lot about how to treat people who have TBI or any brain injury. She definitely prepped me for life with someone who experienced TBI firsthand.
Peace and Love outrank cross-hairs any day and Ms Giffords is proof of that.
The whole show:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/300217/abc-2020-gabby-giffords-and-mark-kelly-courage-and-hope
Anon @ 8:34 am
ReplyDeleteI find Sarah Palin to be a contemptible person, but I actually don't blame her for the attack.
But I will agree with Sarah that we don't reward people who behave badly. She may have capitalized on unwarranted political notoriety and celebrity, ushering an era where Donald Trump and Herman Cain are given credence as credible candidate posers - but along with obtaining unimaginable wealth and influence, she's brought on a staggering number of people on Earth that dislikes her intensely. . .especially in her response to perceived persecution for a crime she didn't commit.
May that "Blood Libel" comment haunt her to her to the last gasping breath of her lackluster career.
Gasman @ 9:09 a.m.
ReplyDeletePhilistines [read conservatives] want to cut the Arts the moment it is within their power to do so. Austerity measures usually means no food for the soul, much less social safety nets for those struggling to get on their feet. Things like 'culture' is derided as an effete, elite thing.
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill's finance minister said Britain should cut arts funding to support the war effort. Churchill's response: "Then what are we fighting for?"
I may not be talented, but I recognize and appreciate artists, musicians, performing artists, and relateable disciplines.
The world, our minds, would be an uglier place were it not for music to soothe the savage beasts inherent within us.
huffingtonpost.com media section has a post saying 13.4 million people watched. 13.4 million once again saw that vicious, hateful crosshairs map and were reminded of the hate that defines Palin.
ReplyDelete(VanSustaran's Gloria Cain interview at the same time couldn't even hope to get close.)
Next Chapter @ 10:54 AM
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I love that, "gestalt" it makes perfect sense.
Maybe Screech has been extra quiet these days because of the coverage of Gabby Gifford's amazing recovery and the release of her book. May Screech always stay this silent.
ReplyDeletesillywhabbit @ 12:10 p.m.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your own experience with TBI and your no doubt struggle to be supportive to someone you cared for.
Beautiful couple.
ReplyDeleteAwww the poor troll @11:47, 11:49 and 11:52am must not be happy! What's wrong Sarah the Troll....can't take the truth? Is that why you and your dirty ass wig will be on Greta tonight? Are you sure Roger said it was okay for you to be on tonight or did you lie to him.... and now this is going to be Blood Libel Part 2?
ReplyDeletePoor...poor Sarah....nobody cares about you anymore except your crazy ass fans at the Peezoo...but even they are getting a little tired of your "radio silence". The rest of us are happy to never see your big over size head, with the tuffs of bad hair sticking out of that obivous dirty wig, along with that meaningless grimace that you call a smile on your herpe infected lips appearing in High Definition on our televisions EVER again! But I guess you have a contract to fulfill at FAUX and your lover...er...um...I mean your friend Greta has the wonderful honor of interviewing two idiots in a row....YOU and Herm "Pimp Daddy" Cain.
And for the record...you will NEVER measure up to Gabby Gifford and the Toad will NEVER measure up to Mark Kelly! They are true Americans....you two are just a couple of turds in the bottom of America's toilet bowl....Now stand back.... America is about to flush you nasty pieces of shit down the drain!
I am so glad to see that Sarah was not just mentioned, but pictured in the ABC Video.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that she will do a mini version of her 'blood libel' story on ReGreta tonight, which will be idiotically stupid because it will just dredge up the original 'blood libel' video fiasco, but then we do know how thin skinned the evil one is, don't we.
I found myself enraged watching the struggle that Gabby is going through and has gone through and knowing that Sarah sanctioned this violence, she nurtured the environment for this violence, she fed the hate that called for this violence, under the guise of 'politics as usual'.
She fueled and nourished the hate and divisiveness each and every day, with her cringing screech, come-and-fuck-me persona, throwing red meat, bloodied and oozing with pus to her base, watching them gobble it up like so much of a feast.
I found myself having such a visceral upheaval in my gut that I nearly vomited.
But then I refocused on the deeply moving journey of Gabby and her family and how much LOVE is in the equation and that she is having such amazing progress and is simply glowing with awesome strength and support.
And then I felt like my heart would simply burst with pride and love and gratitute for Gabby.
A much more preferable feeling, I must say.
Mark Kelly is the guest on The Daily Show tonight (Tues).
ReplyDeleteI truly am not trying to be a grinch, but we all know that this type of occurrence in the vast majority of Americans families would bankrupt them with medical bills.
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple with cadillac plans thanks to their tax payer provided jobs and benefits. Yet most of those tax payers could not even dream of spending months on end in a major hospital with the types of specialized therapy that the Giffords have had access to.
I am thrilled at the degree of her reovery.
But
Universal affordable health care could make these miracles accessible to all Americans. Not just the privileged few.
Thanks Anon @3:17 pm for the heads up on the Daily Show. Mark Kelly was named Esquire's "American of the Year."
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's not just Palin who is heartless or thoughtless enough not to call Gabby, it's Speaker Boehner. Gabby basically works for him, and he couldn't be bothered to contact her when he and she were in Houston at the same time:
"In a new book, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s (D-Ariz.) husband scolds House Speaker John Boehner for failing to visit his wounded wife while she was recovering from injuries sustained in a shooting.
Kelly noted that in April, Boehner was in Houston for the NCAA Final Four Tournament while Giffords was at a rehabilitation center there following the Jan. 8 attempt on her life... But they didn’t hear from the Speaker."
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/193749-gabrielle-giffords-husband-rips-boehner-in-new-book
May Sarah Palin rot in hell for what she did.
ReplyDeleteGabby Giffords did not deserve what happened to her, nor did any of the other victims, whose families will never be the same.
But Sarah Palin keeps on grifting and belittling people who are in the trenches, doing the work.
That she made millions off of her lies and venom, makes me absolutely sick.
Sorry, got angry there. I was very touched. But the anger was not far behind.
I taped both shows and laughed and cried through the entire thing. When Gabby mimicked her Mom's words- now that's something that we all can relate to, and it was truly funny.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how far she's progressed in ten short months, a testament to her strength of character and the love of a good man.
Thanks to those who shared your experiences with TMI and music therapy. My son had a problem with speech and stuttering, and had it not been for early intervention and good therapists, I doubt he'd have ever overcome them and excelled.
Her stepdaughter's letter was touching, amazing what great things come when a loved one is hurting!
And to the trolls, please get over yourselves, hate speech and symbolism pushed by Sarah Heath Palin, private citizen, played a huge role in setting herself up as the ulitmate victim of blood libel, while ignoring the tragedy they caused and playing politics.
Writing a fake note on facebook doesn't cut it, was she too busy to pick up a phone, like most every other politician on both sides did?
That Palin and her map were referenced to on the special -- in realistic time, that was something that Gabby referred to in an appearance on a show prior to the shooting that she was very concerned about. As far as Gabby, it would be the only reference to the shooting in that for months after the shooting, she had no recall of January 8th and most certainly not any knowledge as to the shooter.
ReplyDeleteThe Baggers will use and abuse any excuse to wiggle out of any responsibility for anything. To this day, we've never heard a Bagger accept responsibility for anything - including their wasting the air of our planet that they breath which I so wish they would stop -- breathing that is! They can all take a flying leap and die. Let's help them and push the morons further over the edge!!!
Palin is responsible for more book topics in the past three years than Mickey Mouse.
ReplyDeleteShe is a remarkable woman. I felt a great deal of rage at Sarah Palin and her irresponsible crosshairs as I watched this video. Gabby is a few things that Sarah Palin is not (many actually): funny, intelligent, courageous, and remarkable.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness this brought tears to my eyes. They are such a lovely and loving couple, worlds away from the Palin family dynamics!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI truly am not trying to be a grinch, but we all know that this type of occurrence in the vast majority of Americans families would bankrupt them with medical bills.
Here are a couple with cadillac plans thanks to their tax payer provided jobs and benefits. Yet most of those tax payers could not even dream of spending months on end in a major hospital with the types of specialized therapy that the Giffords have had access to.
I am thrilled at the degree of her reovery. But Universal affordable health care could make these miracles accessible to all Americans. Not just the privileged few.
3:18 PM
---------------------
I understand what you are saying, anonymous. And I don't think you are being a grinch at all. It will be interesting to see what approach Congresswoman Giffords will take toward health care reform down the road.
I don't begrudge Mark Kelly at all for his health care coverage, as he is a vet and has put his life on the line for this country for decades.
Nor do I begrudge our congress critters having a decent health plan. But they should have "skin in the game" (as the republicans so obnoxiously squawk about federal income tax). Their votes on health care should affect their own health care. And their plan should be whatever plan is available to individuals in their state.