You Just Never Know

I recently read that, statistically, 90 percent of people shot in the head die as a result of this injury. Of the 1 in 10 who survive, about one-half are severely disabled and one-half recover enough to return to their ordinary lives.

According to all the reports we're hearing about Rep. Giffords, she is recovering at a far better rate than almost anyone expected. This is not to say she will fully recover -- no one has a clue about that -- but she seems to be doing very well under the circumstances.

Lemole said the team is beginning aggressive physical therapy, which includes having Giffords sit on the edge of her bed with her legs dangling over the side.

"She is able to move both of her legs to command. That's huge," Lemole said. "We say, 'Gabrielle, lift your legs up,' and she lifts both of them up."

He said they hoped to get her into a chair Thursday or Friday...

This sort of information simply astounds me. Sitting upright in a chair less than one week after being shot in the brain?

But, lest we forget, there are other situations in life that play out in the opposite direction. Who doesn't know of someone who went in for a supposedly routine operation -- a knee scope, appendectomy, laser surgery, etc. -- who dies on the operating table or soon after the procedure? The mortality rate for this kind of operation may be very, very low and yet our friend, colleague or loved one somehow doesn't make it through.

For all our advancements in knowledge, we still don't know a heck of a lot. We don't know why some people succumb to the flu and end up dying from it, while others beat inoperable cancer. We really don't why one person who falls on their sidewalk dies as the result of their injuries, while another survives a fiery plane crash.