Giffords recovery at center of film showing
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords joined her former care team at TIRR Memorial Hermann for a virtual conversation and screening of a documentary about her recovery after a 2011 mass shooting.
Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, spent several months recovering at TIRR Memorial Hermann after being shot in the head Jan. 8, 2011, outside a Tucson supermarket. A gunman killed six people and injured 13 others, including Giffords.
She joined her former care team and TIRR Memorial Hermann leaders Tuesday for a screening of the 2022 documentary, “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” which tells the story of her recovery. She thanked her care team during a virtual conversation that accompanied the screening.
“Memorial Hermann will always have a special place in my heart,” Giffords said, according to a news release. “… . I wouldn’t be where I am today without them, and I’m forever indebted to the entire care team.”
About a dozen TIRR Memorial Hermann staff attended the screening in person, though it was open to all employees virtually, a spokesman said.
The shooting left Giffords partly paralyzed and unable to speak fluently. TIRR Memorial Hermann head trauma specialists worked with her to help her regain function.
“Gabby Giffords embodies the word perseverance,” said Dr. Gerard Francisco, chairman and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and chief medical officer at TIRR Memorial Hermann. “There was no stopping Gabby’s recovery, not with TIRR by her side. The fact that she is here today and has turned this tragedy into a fierce advocacy to help so many others shows how aligned she is with our mission.
The documentary also chronicles Giffords’ work as an activist to reform gun laws and reduce gun violence. It is streaming on Amazon, AppleTV and DirecTV.