Not Giving Up

Elanna Cahn — January 8, 2014 – 10:50 am | Women's Leadership Network | Domestic Policy Comments (0) Add a comment

Our good friend, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords is working hard each and every day to recover from the terrible event that took place 3 years ago. Today, on the anniversary of the shooting, she writes about her work and resolutions.

The Lessons of Physical Therapy

TODAY, the anniversary of the shooting in Tucson that put a bullet through my head and killed six of my constituents, is when I make my annual resolutions.

Many may look at me and see mostly what I have lost. I struggle to speak, my eyesight’s not great, my right arm and leg are paralyzed, and I left a job I loved representing southern Arizona in Congress.

But three years ago, dispatched to an almost certain death by an assassin’s bullet, I was allowed the opportunity for a new life. I had planned to spend my 40s continuing my public service and starting a family. I thought that by fighting for the people I cared about and loving those close to me, I could leave the world a better place. And that would be enough.

Instead, I’ve spent the past three years learning how to talk again, how to walk again. I had to learn to sign my name with my left hand. It’s gritty, painful, frustrating work, every day. Rehab is endlessly repetitive. And it’s never easy, because once you’ve mastered some movement or action or word, no matter how small, you move on to the next. You never rest.

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