Andrew Morley English 1121 Mrs.

Akers 12/19/2011

Scholarship Essay

In my own words, Political Courage is defined as standing up to adversity in the face of political turmoil. Gabrielle Giffords fits this definition perfectly. On January 8, 2011, Giffords was the victim of an attempt on her life while speaking to constituents at a Tucson supermarket. The attempt consisted of a gunshot wound to her head and 6 other political figures were killed, along with 13 wounded. Giffords, an Arizona native, was born in Tucson, the city where the nearfatal tragedy happened. She was raised in a mixed-religious household, and grew up to become the first Jewish senator of Arizona. Some believe this to be the motivation behind the attempted assassination. After Giffords intern Daniel Hernandez provided first aid, she was immediately airlifted to the University Medical Center of Tucson, in critical condition, even though she was still conscious and responding to commands. The road to Giffords recovery was a long and dangerous one. The doctors who performed emergency surgery had to remove part of her skull so the swelling caused by the brain wouldnt lead to a fatality. Experienced military doctors then removed the bullet and skull fragments from the brain. After the emergency surgery, she was placed into an induced coma, with her

Andrew Morley English 1121 Mrs. Akers 12/19/2011

husband Mark Kelly at her side through the entire ordeal after flying directly from Houston to Tucson via a borrowed aircraft. Said Kelly [there is] a rough road ahead for her recovery to current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.