It’s a miracle that Gabrielle Giffords is alive. And it will be a miracle if she makes a full and complete recovery.
Fortunately, Giffords lives in the United States of America, which is a land of miracles. And so, we have real reason to believe that one day, in the not too distant future, this good, decent and lovely young woman, who has dedicated her life to public service, will again grace the halls of Congress. Pray that it will be so.
The miracle began immediately after Giffords was shot, when an unknown college intern, Danny Hernandez, heroically rushed forward toward the sounds of the gun.
Indeed, without regard for his own safety, Hernandez acted with dispatch, and with honor, to keep the congresswoman from bleeding to death. Hernandez did this by applying pressure, with just his bare hand (because that’s all he had) to Giffords’ entrance wound. And he held Giffords upright against him so that she wouldn’t choke on her own blood.
The fact that Hernandez was nearby and able to react quickly probably saved Giffords’ life, physician and state representative Matt Heinz, D-Tucson, told the Arizona Republic on Saturday.
Then Giffords had the good fortune to be treated at one of the world’s great medical facilities and trauma centers, the University Medical Center in Tucson, where a team of world-class doctors and nurses graced her with the miracle of modern medicine.
And, as a result, Fox News is now reporting that all indications are that Giffords will recover and perhaps, God willing, recover without complication. Again, pray that it will be so.
Miraculously, it seems, the nature of Giffords’ wound is itself a kind of blessing. Here’s this morning’s report from Fox News.
Bill Hemmer: We know that Congresswoman Giffords [is] defying the odds by simply surviving a wound that typically kills 95 percent of its victims.
Doctors [are] expressing optimism about her recovery since the shooting on Saturday. And Mike Tobin is outside the medical center in Tucson, which is given great kudos across the country from people in the medical field about how fine a facility it is…
Mike, how’s she doing?
Mike Tobin: You know, I just had a conversation with Dr. Peter Reed, who, as you know, is the chief of the operations out here and specific to the shooting case. And he said to me that all indications for a full recovery — I should say, all indications for a recovery — of the congresswoman are showing green at this point.
And he pointed out something very interesting. [He said] that given the horrific nature of her injuries, it actually helped [that] the exiting bullet… exited the front of her head… That broke away some of the bone.
When it broke away some of the bone, that relieved some of the pressure, which otherwise would have built up in the skull, [and] quite possibly could have cut off the circulation and killed the congresswoman…
Hemmer: What are the fears that doctors have now? We were told earlier that the next 48 hours are absolutely critical to her recovery. You’re hearing what, Mike?
Tobin: Those 48 hours are critical… Just [as] if you get a bump on your knee, or an injury on another part of your body, the swelling builds up and then starts to alleviate after 48 hours.
They’re looking now for the swelling to go down in her brain. There’s always a chance, though, it could swell again. A number of different factors could contribute to that, right down to the possibility of infection. These are the things that doctors are watching right now.
But again, from Dr. Reed, all indicators are showing green.
This is a sign, I believe, that God is answering our prayers; and that America is, indeed, a land of miracles. And so, I say again: please pray for Gabrielle Giffords and, indeed, all of the victims of Saturday’s senseless and horrific murder spree in Tucson.
Now is not the time to assign blame, especially since the blame clearly lies with the murderer who pulled the trigger — he and no one else. Now is the time to pray, in this, the land of miracles.
John R. Guardiano is a writer and analyst in Arlington, Virginia. He writes and blogs for a variety of publications, including FrumForum, the American Spectator and The Daily Caller. Follow him at his personal blog, ResoluteCon.com, and on Twitter @JohnRGuardiano.