The way former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords channeled her pain into purpose is the embodiment of a glow up. This year, the Forbes Power Women’s Summit celebrated its 10th anniversary, and members of the Glow Stream TV fam attended the event in person and virtually. These women shared their victories and their struggles. Of all the stories in this pantheon of great women, there was one that left me in awe, Gabby Giffords. The way Giffords channeled her pain into purpose is the embodiment of a glow up.
I think we can all agree that everyone loves a comeback story, we all root for the underdog, and every Glow Girl out there would stand in the gap for the next just to help another women grow her glow. With all that being said, we’d love to shine a light on former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her awe-inspiring road to recovery. This trailblazer was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate. She married an astronaut (Mark Kelly) and is the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition she is the subject of a new documentary.
From the outside looking in, you would think Giffords has it all. Believe me when I tell you that it came with a price that almost cost her her life. In January 2011, she was the victim of an assassination attempt. Giffords sustained a brain injury that less than 10 percent of people survive. The headshot wound left her partially paralyzed and with aphasia, a language impairment. With the odds stacked against her, she continued to fight and returned to the House floor in August 2011. Knowing her road to recovery would be grueling, Congresswoman Giffords appeared on the House floor again in January 2012, where she formally submitted her resignation. Ten years later, “Gabby,” as she is known to close friends, family and supporters, is still fighting and advocating. Since the tragic shooting that changed the course of her life, she has written a memoir, founded a nonprofit, and even went skydiving. This is proof that no matter what happens, “Gabby” Giffords won’t back down and this is why she personifies the “Glow Girl” spirit.
“I often get asked about what could have been. If I hadn’t met with constituents at a Congress on Your Corner event on January 8, 2011. If I hadn’t been shot in the head, leading to partial paralysis, aphasia, and a decade-long journey to regain the ability to walk and talk. Would I now be a senator, instead of my husband? What might have been? What I say in response, every single time, is: move ahead. We can’t rewrite the past with our wishing or our wanting. But the future? Now, that’s something we can play a role in shaping,” said Giffords in a previously recorded interview.
No matter what side of the political field you play on, the comeback story of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is one we can all appreciate and respect.
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