Gillibrand, Wasserman-Schultz Describe Giffords' Awakening

[sandnsea]

The pool released a series of quotes from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz from when they went back to the press cabin for what is described as “a joyful availability explaining the moment when Representative Giffords responded to their visit, opened one eye and raised her arm, to the amazement of doctors.” Both women added that Mark Kelly, Giffords’ husband, was also “a key player in the dramatic hospital visit”.

Quotes
Gillibrand.

“We were very excited that we were even going to have to the chance to visit her hospital room, when we did have the chance we were so excited to get to see her.”
“When we came in the room, the doctor was there, her parents were there, Mark (Kelly) was there, and speaker Pelosi and Debbie and I went in.
“We were telling her how proud we were of her and how she was inspiring the whole nation with her courage and with her strength.”
“Then Debbie and I started joking about all the things we were going to do when she got better. We were holding her hand, and she was responding to our hand holding, she was rubbing her hands and she was gripping our hands so we could … we knew she could hear and understand what we were saying, she moved her leg. we knew she was responding.
“The more we joked about what we were going to do, she started to open her eyes, literally. She started to struggle and one of her eyes is covered with a bandage because it was damaged in the gunfire.
“Her eye is flickering and Mark sees this and gets extremely excited. He said “Gabby open your eyes, open your eyes, he is really urging her forward, and the doctor is perking up.”
“It is a good 30 seconds where she is trying to get her eyes open and she finally opens her eyes, and you could tell she was desperately trying to focus and it took enormous strength from her.”
“Mark is so happy because he can’t believe it and we are crying because we are witnessing something that we never imagined would happen in front of us.
“Mark says “if you can see me, give us the thumbs up.’ She is really trying to focus, you could see she hadn’t opened her eyes in days.
Instead of giving us the thumbs up, she literally raises her whole arm, like this (makes gesture).”
“Then she starts reaching out and starts grabbing Mark, and like is touching him, and starts to nearly choke him, she is clearly trying to hug him. It was such a moment, and we were in such tears of joy watching this.”
Gillibrand said that Giffords started to reach out and touch her husband’s ring, his watch and his wrist.
“The doctor was just so excited, he said ‘you don’t understand this is amazing what she is doing now, beyond our greatest hopes,’ then they decided we had to go, because it was a lot of excitement for her.”
“It was raw courage and raw strength and it was so moving .. she wanted us to know she was with us 100 percent and understood everything we were saying.”

Wasserman Schultz
It was just really, it felt like a miracle, it felt like we were watching a miracle. We just wanted so badly to be there for her as her friends. The strength that you could see just flowing out of her… it was like she was trying to will her eyes open.

Gillibrand
“The only experience you have similar is when you have your child.”

Wasserman-Schultz:
“Other than the birth of my kids this was the most incredible feeling — to see literally one of your closest friends come back to you, to come back to her family, to come back to her friends We know how strong Gabby is. You could see all the strength pouring out of her, to touch her husband.

Gillibrand: “She wanted to tell us, I am here, I can hear you.”
Wasserman-Schultz: “She looked angelic. I have to tell you, it was stunning.”
Wasserman-Schultz said that the doctor told her “I just witnessed the impact of friendship, you guys did this here today.”
She described Giffords and her husband Mark as deeply in love. “They really are in a perpetual state of newly wed.”

[nofurylike]

this is breathtaking. thank you so very much for posting this, sandnsea!
omg, i just cry ...

“I just witnessed the impact of friendship, you guys did this here today.”

thank you so much

[SeattleGirl]

Thank you so much for posting this! What a wonderful and inspiring thing to read!
b

[Hekate]

That is incredibly moving. Dear gods, she might have a chance at meaningful recovery. Thank you so much for posting this.
~H~

[spazito]

This is is wonderful, very moving! Thank you for posting this, reading this is a beautiful way for me to start the day.

[jaxx]

I heard them on the phone with CNN last night, they were in awe. The descriptions were enough to make you just cry. Miracles do happen.

[atomic]

Her struggle to recover is really inspiring and her progress spectacular.

[Treestar]

I pray she makes a complete recovery. She may not be out of the woods yet when it comes to permanent damage of some kind. But it sounds optimistic.

[Cha]

Awesome accounts of the miracle of Gabby's amazing recovery..baby steps!

We knew having Mark there would be so powerful and now her friends cheering her on too!

Bless Kristin's heart..she called her "speaker Pelosi"!

Thanks for this, sandnsea~

[azmouse]

Reading this makes me really feel the truth of my sig line.