My son was lucky not to have a serious swelling problem, while Giffords did and doctors were forced to remove a part of her skull. His injury was to the right side of his brain, while hers is on the left. My son was on a ventilator for 24 hours, while Giffords was on one for days and subsequently underwent a tracheotomy.
And of course, my son was 27 years old when his accident occurred, while the Congresswoman is 40. Doctors in the ICU repeatedly told us that the age of the patient is a crucial factor in brain injury outcomes.
I pray that Giffords has a full recovery. Given the advances in medicine and therapy, anything is possible and we should all be hopeful. Thankfully, my son walked out of the hospital not quite two months after his accident. Now, about 15 months after he incurred a very serious brain injury, he is completely recovered. Giffords could do the same.
But at this point, given what I learned about traumatic brain injuries and the snippets of information that have been released about the Congresswoman’s medical condition, any talk about a possible Giffords Senate run in 2012 seems premature and seriously ill-advised.
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