It’s hard not to smile back at the photos released Sunday of a smiling U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, five months after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in Tucson, Ariz.
We can’t, however, let our obsession with looks overshadow the reality of what “recovery” from such
a head injury might mean. This is not to sell Giffords short, or her potential to live a full life. Questioning where she is, cognitively, is not the same as saying “disability means inability” as some hand-wringing bloggers and editorial writers have suggested.
Giffords’ staff said the photos were released to help satisfy “intense interest in the congresswoman’s appearance.” Perhaps that’s because Giffords’ staff have closely guarded information about her recovery. Which is understandable, but only to a point — political officeholders, even those who have survived an assassination attempt — can only make so many pleas for “privacy” before they need to answer to their constituents.
Asked if there is a timetable for deciding if Giffords will remain in office, Pia Carusone, Giffords’ chief of staff, told the Arizona Republic: “The only firm timetable is the legal timetable, and that is May of 2012, when petitions are due for re-election. That’s a firm timetable. Short of that, we’d love to know today what her life will be, what her quality of life will be, which will determine whether she’ll be able to run for office and all sorts of other things involving her… “
Giffords’ recovery can’t be rushed. The decision to return to work can’t be rushed. But her job isn’t just any job. Her constituents may be content to wait for her to recover and represent them, but they can’t be blamed if they aren’t.
Carusone notes that so much of Giffords’ recovery remains unknown. “A lot of this is a waiting game. That is a difficult thing to explain when speaking to the public,” she said. “But she was a perfectly healthy 40-year-old who was injured on the job. I’m hoping that buys her a little more patience. But it’s a brutal world out there.”
Giffords’ staff needs to quit blaming the media and public for seeking information.
Yes, it’s a brutal world out there — one major example being that six people were killed and 12 others also wounded when Giffords was targeted by a gunman five months ago.
Wondering where Giffords is in her recovery is not brutal. It is not impatient. It is reasonable and responsible.
If Giffords’ staff would like to take the media to task, why not ask: How are the other 12 survivors doing?
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
