Gabby_ A Story of Courage and Hope - Alison Hanson [133]
“Think of rehab as an antibiotic,” Dr. Francisco explained. “If you have a bladder infection, you have to use the right antibiotic and the right dose. The same is true for rehab. You need the right rehab program for the right length of time and the right frequency each day.
“Here’s a crude analogy. If you go into McDonald’s and you only have ninety-nine cents, don’t expect to buy the Big Mac. Gabby was able to get the Big Mac of rehab because she had insurance coverage that allowed it. I wish every patient had the same opportunities.”
As a health-food proponent, Gabby would find it amusing that her doctor chose McDonald’s to make his analogy. Still, Dr. Francisco’s words resonated with Gabby, and with all of us in her family and on her staff. We read about brain-injured soldiers who weren’t getting the best possible care, and we saw other brain-injured patients at TIRR whose insurance coverage was limited. Some of TIRR’s patients would return to the facility each year for one month, year after year, because that was all their health-care providers would allow.
Learning all of this, Gabby’s office took the lead on several fronts. Her staffers called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to ensure that all Americans with traumatic brain injuries have access to high-quality, comprehensive care. They asked her to end the “treatment gap” by defining rehabilitation care as part of the essential benefits package in the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. More than 1.7 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries each year.
Gabby’s staffers also proposed initiatives to a defense-spending bill that would create better guidelines for the rehab treatment of brain-injured soldiers. A staggering 115,000 U.S. soldiers experienced traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, often from roadside bombs. After the House Armed Services Committee approved the bill, Pia didn’t mince words in the statement she released as chief of staff:
“Congresswoman Giffords is receiving excellent medical treatment. She was injured while she was on the job and her rehabilitation is covered by workers’ compensation under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. The members of the military who step forward to serve our nation deserve no less if they suffer a traumatic brain injury.”
After Gabby left TIRR, the doctors, nurses, therapists, and patients she left behind had high hopes that she’d continue to recover her voice, and that she’d use her voice for a high purpose.
“Gabby, you can become a national advocate for why rehabilitation is important,” Carl Josehart, TIRR’s chief executive officer, suggested.
From early on in rehab, Gabby had been upset to learn that the treatment she received was out of reach for many brain-injury patients. And she was heartened to think that all the attention to her traumatic brain injury might have a direct, positive effect on members of the armed services. I have no doubt that when she gets back to work, righting this wrong will be a new priority for her.
During her early months at TIRR, Gabby would often say “Tucson, Arizona.” Sometimes she said it wistfully, sometimes with determination. Eventually, she was able to say exactly what she was feeling: “I miss Tucson.” Those of us who love her knew how badly she longed to return, so as soon as she was released from the rehab facility, we made the trip. It was Father’s Day weekend.
Gabby was excited to be returning home, but she was visibly nervous, too. On the way there, I asked her, “How do you feel?”
“Mixed emotions,” she said.
Tilman had again graciously lent us his plane, which enabled us to fly low over the wildfires that had been raging in Arizona, including in her district, near Sierra Vista. Gabby had been keeping tabs on the fires in the newspaper, and she wanted to see the