Arizona Shooting Update: Gabrielle Giffords' Husband Thought She Was Dead
TUCSON, Ariz. (CBS/KOLD/AP) Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, said he believed for approximately 20 minutes that his wife was dead after watching a mistaken television news report.
PICTURES: Arizona Shooting Victims
"I just, you know, walked into the bathroom, and you know, broke down," he told ABC News in an interview. "To hear that she died is just, it's devastating for me."
Kelly, an astronaut for NASA, said he later learned that she was alive when he called Giffords' mother, who was outside the operating room.
Giffords was shot in the head Jan. 8 outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. where she was holding an event to meet constituents. Six people were killed and 13, including Giffords, were injured after accused gunman Jared Loughner opened fire on the crowd.
Lougner, 22, was arrested and remains jailed in a federal lockup in Phoenix.
Day by day Kelly spends hours next to his wife, rarely leaving her bedside. Kelly said doctors are cautiously optimistic that his wife, who is listed in serious condition, can make a 100 percent recovery, though he admits that is only a hope in his own mind.
"Well, I put her on a schedule for her," Kelly told CBS affiliate KOLD. "I whispered the schedule in her ear and I've told the neurosurgeons so she knows what that is. She's very good with plans and schedules and she's a very hard worker."
Kelly described how Giffords played with his wedding ring Tuesday, something he said she used to do prior to the shooting.
Giffords is aware that she's in a hospital, but she doesn't yet know how she got there, Kelly told KOLD.
"I have talked to the doctors about that, they say the best thing to do in this case, with this kind of situation, is not to tell her about all of it at once but when she starts asking questions about it, just answer the questions," said Kelly.
When asked if he believed in miracles, his reply was simple.
"I do," Kelly answered. "I do now."
