"Doctors have said it's not really fair, as you can imagine, to tell something so tragic to someone that might not have the ability to ask the detailed questions that someone will have when they hear this news."
Having gone through something very similar myself, I know that -- for quite some time -- I struggled just to communicate my basic needs. I did three one-hour sessions of speech therapy each day and -- after each one -- I was so exhausted that I would have sworn I could have slept for a week.
I was capable of understanding just about everything that was said to me. But I was incapable of voicing my thoughts in response. My doctors told me that I had had a stroke. I obviously knew by myself that my ability to speak was gone. My doctors had told me that recovery was possible. But they did not tell me how long that would take, etc., etc., etc. at that time.
If Ms Giffords were to be told about the shooting, she would -- obviously -- want a lot more details. She would want to know how many other people were injured. Was anyone killed? Who? Did they know who the shooter was? Why did he do it? What about her job? But she would be incapable of asking. And the knowledge of the full horror of what went on that day would be seriously upsetting to her. It's affect both upon her mental state, and her agitation over the whole thing would, quite likely, set back her recovery significantly.
As it is, her recovery -- however far she's able to recover toward normal -- is going to take months and months and months. While she will not remain at the rehab center for the full time, she'll still be recovering a year from now.
There is a time to tell her all about what happened, but this is not that time. In the over-all scheme of things, this is VERY early days yet.
Right now, Gabby needs to be able to concentrate on her own therapies, and not worry about the horrific events of that fateful January day.
Read More... [Source: Breaking News: CBS News]
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