It’s hard to keep from tearing up when reading about the support friends of Gabrielle Giffords are providing for the Arizona congresswoman who remains hospitalized after a gunshot wound to the head several weeks ago.
It’s especially moving to learn about acts of genuine friendship on Giffords’ behalf occurring in the political arena of Washington.
And when Debby Wasserman Schultz speaks of how important girlfriends were to her when she was recovering from breast cancer and her commitment to being there for Giffords, you have to cheer.
The AP’s Donna Cassata reports the heartwarming story of Giffords and her friends:
WASHINGTON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' chair sits empty as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head, yet three friends are ensuring she still has a presence in Congress.
At nearly every hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, the panel's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, carves out a few precious minutes from his time-limited turn quizzing military officials to ask a question on behalf of Giffords.
"She's a critical member of the committee – has been for the four years that she's been here," Smith said in a recent interview, just days after visiting Giffords at a Houston hospital. He confers with the Arizona Democrat's staff on questions that Giffords might ask about energy or the two major military installations in her district, the Army's Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
"I want to make sure her initiatives get in there," he said.
This Tuesday night, Smith will join Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., in hosting a fundraiser for Giffords' 2012 campaign at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters building a few blocks from the Capitol. Members of the Democratic leadership also are pitching in.
"I've been protecting her flank politically," said Wasserman Schultz, who is intent on making sure Giffords has a hefty account for her next election.
Cassata continues:
Wasserman Schultz recalled her own health crisis – breast cancer at age 40 – and the importance of girlfriends. For Giffords, "I want to be there as a girlfriend," said the four-term Florida lawmaker.
Wasserman Schultz visited Giffords on March 5, four weeks after her last trip, and said she was amazed at the progress. She said Giffords is very responsive and talking, though "not conversationalist."
Gillibrand, a former House member elected in the same year as Giffords, was at her bedside when she opened her eyes for the first time days after the shooting.
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