(Note: This article was previously entitled, “She Walks, She Talks AND She Has Opinions”. I now understand that this title could be seen as offensive to disabled people. However, I did not intend it to be offensive.)
Last week, Americans, including all TBI survivors, saw something remarkable from former Arizona Congresswoman and TBI survivor Gabby Giffords. Specifically, the women who had to relearn how to walk and talk just a few years ago walked herself to the podium and spoke to the country at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA. During her speech, Giffords spoke of her support for Hillary Clinton and her proposed gun laws. Beyond her speech though, Giffords said something that I think is an important, but often overlooked positive effect of something as horrific as a brain injury: “I have a passion for helping people [now]”. (These words demonstrate her choice to favor action versus pity. Given that, it would be nice if the press focused on her speech and her ideas, not the fact that she walked alone.)