January 22, 2011 11:17 PM
- Text
Soldiers With Similar Injuries Cheer On Giffords
Updated 8:38 p.m. EST
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' chief physician says she is "even more alert today" and progressing nicely with therapy a day after arriving at Texas Medical Center in Houston to begin rehabilitation.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Gerard Francisco said the Arizona congresswoman did not speak or make any sounds when he examined her on Saturday.
That could be because Giffords still has a breathing tube. He said it is too soon to say whether she can or will be able to talk.
On Jan. 21, Gabrielle Giffords' transition from University Medical Center in Arizona to a rehabilitation facility in Houston went flawlessly, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook.
Congresswoman Giffords was accompanied to Houston by her husband, mother and members of her Tucson medical team.
Giffords' New Doctor on Her Recovery Process
Where will she end up? We don't know.
Dr. John Holcomb, retired army colonel, will help lead her treatment team here in Houston.
Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Tucson
What we do know is that starting intensive rehabilitation earlier will end up with a higher level of functioning later.
Giffords will have to overcome a very serious wound that penetrated the left hemisphere of the brain, the area controlling vision, speech, information processing, and personality. But neurologists are learning that damaged parts of the brain can actually 'borrow' function from healthy areas.
The brain clearly does re-wire itself, it's called plasticity, so it actually is able to respond in different ways. Clearly people with severe brain injuries can re-learn how to function, speak, move to a certain degree.
First, doctors will thoroughly evaluate Giffords, then design a plan that could include therapy for speech, walking and the basic functions of daily life.
It might even include groundbreaking virtual reality systems that allow patients to practice living in a safe, simulated environment.
As Giffords was leaving Tucson, patients at this TIRR branch in Galveston were immersed in challenging and often tedious therapy -- tiny steps to relearn the simplest of skills.
TIRR Foundation
Kenny Adams, 29, was blinded after being shot through the head in Afghanistan seven years ago. Before rehab, he couldn't walk and his speech was badly slurred.
"The bullet came in through my right cheek and exited thru my right forehead," said soldier Kenny Adams.
Soldiers at the facility know what Giffords may face -- each did rehab at TIRR.
Helping a Hero: Changing Lives, One Veteran at a Time
"It's hard, I am not going to lie to you," said Adams. "There are some days I get really frustrated."
"It's very tough -- just lots of work," said Steve Schulz.
Schulz, 26, suffered a brain injury from a roadside bombing in Iraq. After five years of therapy, he has this advice for Congresswomen Giffords:
"Keep your head up, where it needs to be. Keep looking forward because that's where you're going," said Schulz.
Operation Helmet: Help Protect Our Heroes
The two are courageous young men and a great example for the Congresswoman as she fights to recover in the months to come.
CBS/ AP Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' chief physician says she is "even more alert today" and progressing nicely with therapy a day after arriving at Texas Medical Center in Houston to begin rehabilitation.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Gerard Francisco said the Arizona congresswoman did not speak or make any sounds when he examined her on Saturday.
That could be because Giffords still has a breathing tube. He said it is too soon to say whether she can or will be able to talk.
On Jan. 21, Gabrielle Giffords' transition from University Medical Center in Arizona to a rehabilitation facility in Houston went flawlessly, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook.
Congresswoman Giffords was accompanied to Houston by her husband, mother and members of her Tucson medical team.
Giffords' New Doctor on Her Recovery Process
Where will she end up? We don't know.
Dr. John Holcomb, retired army colonel, will help lead her treatment team here in Houston.
Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Tucson
What we do know is that starting intensive rehabilitation earlier will end up with a higher level of functioning later.
Giffords will have to overcome a very serious wound that penetrated the left hemisphere of the brain, the area controlling vision, speech, information processing, and personality. But neurologists are learning that damaged parts of the brain can actually 'borrow' function from healthy areas.
The brain clearly does re-wire itself, it's called plasticity, so it actually is able to respond in different ways. Clearly people with severe brain injuries can re-learn how to function, speak, move to a certain degree.
First, doctors will thoroughly evaluate Giffords, then design a plan that could include therapy for speech, walking and the basic functions of daily life.
It might even include groundbreaking virtual reality systems that allow patients to practice living in a safe, simulated environment.
As Giffords was leaving Tucson, patients at this TIRR branch in Galveston were immersed in challenging and often tedious therapy -- tiny steps to relearn the simplest of skills.
TIRR Foundation
Kenny Adams, 29, was blinded after being shot through the head in Afghanistan seven years ago. Before rehab, he couldn't walk and his speech was badly slurred.
"The bullet came in through my right cheek and exited thru my right forehead," said soldier Kenny Adams.
Soldiers at the facility know what Giffords may face -- each did rehab at TIRR.
Helping a Hero: Changing Lives, One Veteran at a Time
"It's hard, I am not going to lie to you," said Adams. "There are some days I get really frustrated."
"It's very tough -- just lots of work," said Steve Schulz.
Schulz, 26, suffered a brain injury from a roadside bombing in Iraq. After five years of therapy, he has this advice for Congresswomen Giffords:
"Keep your head up, where it needs to be. Keep looking forward because that's where you're going," said Schulz.
Operation Helmet: Help Protect Our Heroes
The two are courageous young men and a great example for the Congresswoman as she fights to recover in the months to come.
14 Comments +
Popular Now in CBS Evening News
- U.S. Catholic nuns go about work after rebuke
- "Super-agers": What it takes to live beyond 100
- 5/30: Stock market plummets, handling Syrian crisis
- Vatican reprimands "radical" U.S. nuns
- 5/29: World responds to Syria massacre, Romney to clinch GOP nomination
- 6-year-old tries out for National Spelling Bee
- 9/11 first responders: Just doing our jobs
- Super-agers may hold the key to longer life
- Vatican scandal could further grow
- Catholic nuns in America focus on God's work
- Toxic Japanese debris piles up on Alaska's shore
- European debt crisis sends Dow plummeting
- Another mass execution uncovered in Syria
- An early look at the general election
- GOP critical of White House's Syria policy
- Obama awards Medal of Freedom to Bob Dylan, John Glenn
