Six Months Later

Nearly six months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head by an assailant who managed to kill six people including a 9-year-old girl, the first photos of Rep. Giffords since then were released today, via Facebook, including:



The other photo on the page, which I'll decline to share here, shows the cavity that was created on the left side of her head, and a drooping left eye. Reports are not of a 100% recovery, but great progress, now at yet another critical juncture as Rep. Giffords still has difficulty with more complex language, and accompanying frustration, the latter of which would seem to indicate that she's got her wits together inside, just has a hard time with expression.

Rep. Giffords cannot have an MRI to determine brain damage in the most specific way possible, as she has bullet shrapnel lodged in her brain, presumably with the larger pieces having been removed. Since MRIs operate on magnetism, the damage could be horrific.

It's hopeful, certainly, but one wonders if the Congresswoman will seek another term next year or retire at that time. Her name has been floated as a Senatorial candidate; obviously she would need to recover more completely.

While it's difficult not to be furious at the scumbag who did this, Rep. Giffords' smile and progress engender more hope than anger at this moment. You can write her a note or just leave a comment on the Facebook page here.