Gabrielle Giffords’ Pledge at the DNC

I don’t know if you got a chance to see it last week at the Democratic National Convention, but a marvelous thing happened there.  No, I’m not talking about President Obama’s acceptance speech or former President Clinton’s marvelous rallying call to the Democratic party.  No, I’m referring to former Representative Gabriel Giffords’ recitation of the pledge of allegiance.

As you may recall, Representative Giffords was shot point-blank in the head while meeting with her congressional constituents on January 8, 2011.  Six of her constituents were killed and 13 others were injured during this assassination attempt.  The brain injury she suffered was catastrophic.  The fact that she survived at all, is an absolute miracle and is an indication of what medical care in this country can be and can do.  However, medical care by itself is not enough without extensive and intensive physical therapy.  Ms. Giffords, who graduated from Cornell University, is now blind in one eye and suffers from paralysis on right side of her body and, while I’m bluntly stating the obvious, is brain-damaged.  I need to be clear, while the doctors remain optimistic and continue to say she has great “rehabilitation potential,” her life was changed forever on that day.  She resigned her seat in Congress earlier this year.

But she was invited back to the Democratic National Committee Convention on the night that President Obama accepted his party’s nomination for another term. Her job was to lead the convention delegates in the Pledge of Allegiance.  As I watched in awe and fascination as Ms. Giffords, assisted by Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, led the convention in the pledge I couldn’t help but marvel at the joy she had.  It was a visible joy often found in  children who have accomplished a difficult task.   And it is a joy to watch Ms. Giffords’ progress as she fights to come back from such a devastating head injury.  Her progress is inspiring and gut wrenching.

You may not have cared for her or her politics, but  you cannot help but be moved by her unbridled joy when she finished her task.  Let’s be clear, Gabby Giffords still has a long road in front of her, but she’s come so far. And  as I watched her, I knew that no matter how far she still has to go, she’s going to get there just fine.