A close friend of Arizona
shooting victim Gabrielle
Giffords, Debbie Wasserman
Schultz said seeing her fellow
congresswoman open an eye
for the first time was like
`watching a miracle.'
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Debbie Wasserman
Schultz and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords became fast
friends when they met. Both Jewish, rising
Democratic stars under 40 at the time, they
gravitated toward each other. So it was only
natural that Wasserman Schultz would join
President Barack Obama on his visit to the
Tucson hospital where the Arizona
congresswoman is recovering.
Shortly after the president left the room, with
Wasserman Schultz at her side, Giffords opened
an eye for the first time since Saturday's shooting
rampage at her ``Congress on Your Corner
Event.'' Then she raised her left arm, as her
husband asked her give him a thumbs-up if she
could see him.
``It felt like we were watching a miracle,''
Wasserman Schultz told reporters late
Wednesday on an Air Force One flight back to
Washington, D.C. ``Other than the birth of my
kids, this was the most incredible feeling, to see
literally one of your closest friends just struggle to
come back to you, to come back to her family, to
come back to her friends. I mean, we know how
strong Gabby is and you could see all the
strength pouring out of her to touch her
husband.''
GROWING BOND
For both, it's a friendship forged in politics, but
one that has grown far more personal.
Wasserman Schultz and her husband, Steve, met
Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly,
before Giffords ever ran for Congress. The two
women had been chosen for a legislative
fellowship, and spent time together traveling to
several cities.
When Giffords -- then a state senator -- ran for
Congress in 2006, Wasserman Schultz was
helping her party's recruitment efforts, and visited
with Giffords in Tucson.
The families attended Kelly's last shuttle launch
together, and they have vacationed together in
New Hampshire several times. Giffords was in
Miami last fall at a fundraiser for Wasserman
Schultz -- who represents Florida's 20th
Congressional District -- held for the Arizona
congresswoman and several other colleagues.
``Our bond is strengthened because we share a
profession and experiences,'' Wasserman Schultz
said Thursday. ``But it's tighter than that. There
are precious few good friends.''
Wasserman Schultz said the women ``don't get a
lot of social time'' in Washington, but try to catch
up when they can, recently lunching together in
the Senate dining room at New York Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand's request. It was Gillibrand and
Wasserman Schultz, along with House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi, who were standing by
Giffords' hospital bed when her left eye fluttered
open. Her right eye was damaged and is still
bandaged.
`PROUD OF HER'
Gillibrand told reporters the congresswomen
were telling Giffords ``how proud we were of her
and how she was inspiring the whole nation with
her courage and with her strength. And then
Debbie and I started joking about all the things we
were going to do after she got better.''
Giffords was gripping their hands, Gillibrand said,
``and the more we joked about what we were
going to do, she started to open her eyes.''
Wasserman Schultz said she had just told
Giffords, `` `Gabby, we fully expect you to be up
and ready to go to come back up to New
Hampshire this summer,' and that's when she
started to open her eye.''
Wasserman Schultz said she had talked to Kelly
about what to expect and described Giffords as
not looking ``anything like you would imagine
someone with a gunshot wound to the head.
Source: Http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/13/2015447/at-giffords-side-florida-lawmaker.html
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