Giffords opened her eyes for the first time January 12, and one among her doctors, Dr. Michael Lemole, stated the "unexpected familiarity" of having close friends visit might have helped her progress. She still has a long journey ahead in recovery, however the support of family, friends and onlookers across the country is evident.
Astronaut Mark Kelly, Giffords' husband, has been by the congresswoman's side since the shooting. He told ABC's Diane Sawyer he can be there holding Giffords' hand as many days as it takes, "whatever it takes."
Patients, their loved ones and health care professionals have stated that having loved ones present and actively encouraging recovery could make a profound difference.
Shawna Shearer believes it's true, as she mentioned in her iReport. Her husband Andrew, 31, broke both knees and femurs and suffered a number of small strokes in a head-on automobile crash. For two months, he remained unconscious, but he was never alone. His spouse, mom and father took turns staying with him; his father slept in the waiting room many nights.
"I tried to stay as positive as I could," Shawna Shearer, 28, said. "I remember when Andrew opened his eyes, and it was amazing to us."
Though there are not any onerous data to prove that having household and friends around can help a mind trauma sufferer regain consciousness or brain function, it is true that familiar voices have special entry to the mind, says Dr. Lee Schwamm, affiliate professor of neurology at at Harvard Medical School and vice chairman of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
It is as if there's a small police officer inside your mind deciding which signals are allowed to go through and which aren't, Schwamm said. And the officer gives privileged access to familiar voices, even with significant harm to the mind and lowered consciousness.
Shawna Shearer hoped for signs that she and the remainder of the family have been getting through to Andrew. However when he first awoke, it was difficult to tell what, if anything, he could understand what others mentioned, Shawna said. Then, he began following members of the family together with his eyes.By August, he could nod his head for "yes."
Andrew Shearer has informed that he doesn't remember anything that occurred between the day of the accident and around August or September, but appreciates the "tremendous help" that the mere presence of his members of the family brought.
Randie Alf, 28, experienced that, too. In December, she had an aortic dissection and fell unconscious for two days. Her huge family, spread out throughout the United States, banded together to visit, pray and post updates on Facebook.
"When I 'awoke' I wasn't sure when it was and I was still not making too much sense, but I knew where I was and who was with me, my mom and dad and my cousin and my aunts and my friends. And day by day I got stronger in both mind and body," Alf wrote in her iReport.
"I had such a wide array of people thinking about me. I definitely believe that those people are a lot of the reason I got better so quickly," she said.
Alf stayed in the hospital for two weeks, mostly within the ICU. She is staying with her dad and mom during her recovery. Her younger sister, some cousins and many of her friends are also close by.
Kimberly Glassman, chief nursing officer for NYU Langone Medical Heart, has witnessed many ocassions of unconscious patients waking up amid the support of households, and believes they've an necessary function to play in recovery.
"When we have been able to speak to patients who have been in that state and woken up, it's very common for them to say that they heard people talking to them, they could feel people touching them," she said.
It is equally useful for the families to feel as though they are doing something useful and meaningful for his or her cherished one within the ICU, Glassman said. Being at the bedside of the patient might not only transfer familiar signals of touch and sound, but also means a lot to the family members.
Andrew Shearer continues to be recovering, currently in in-patient rehabilitation. From the strokes, he has problems with mobility, and a lower pace of cognitive processing, but no difficulty speaking. His wife and children are looking into moving somewhere where he can move around easier than in their condo, as he mostly uses a wheelchair.
"If you've got people at your side encouraging you, you have such an advantage over isolated and withdrawn patients who have to do that journey alone," Schwamm said.
Kelly is already prompting his wife to have expectations for a speedy turnaround: "I told her she's going to be walking in two weeks," he told Sawyer. "It's good to have a goal, and she's a very goal-oriented person."
There are perhaps more refined ways in which family support can also facilitate a recovery: A vested interest on the a part of the patient's family and pals can help the hospital workers really feel extra connected to the patient also. At Massachusetts Normal Hospital, families of admitted intensive care unit patients are invited to make posters with pictures so that hospital staff members have a better sense of who they are. If the family believes in the patient, the staff may be a bit of more hopeful than they could have otherwise.
"When families give up on the patient's recovery, I think the health care team may do the same," Schwamm said.
Alf and Andrew Shearer each suggest that family and friends of somebody in the hospital try to be there for the patient as much as possible. Even if you cannot be there physically, phone calls and cards do help, Alf said.
In fact, nurses such as Glassman will put the cellphone up to an unconscious affected person's ear if a family member can't be there in person. They'll read every card sent to these patients who are unable to read them themselves.
"I would encourage families to be hopeful, to be present, and to really keep hope alive in their heart," Schwamm said. "We do see patients like Ms. Giffords, and we see them often."
