WEBVTT 00:00:00.995 --> 00:00:02.682 Pat Mitchell: That day, 00:00:02.682 --> 00:00:06.555 January 8, 2011, began like all others. 00:00:06.555 --> 00:00:09.704 You were both doing the work that you love. 00:00:09.704 --> 00:00:11.885 You were meeting with constituents, 00:00:11.885 --> 00:00:14.050 which is something that you loved doing 00:00:14.050 --> 00:00:15.217 as a congresswoman, 00:00:15.217 --> 00:00:17.622 and Mark, you were happily preparing 00:00:17.622 --> 00:00:20.901 for your next space shuttle. 00:00:20.901 --> 00:00:25.080 And suddenly, everything that you had planned 00:00:25.080 --> 00:00:27.031 or expected in your lives 00:00:27.031 --> 00:00:30.880 was irrevocably changed forever. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:30.880 --> 00:00:31.879 Mark Kelly: Yeah, it's amazing, 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:33.653 it's amazing how everything can change 00:00:33.653 --> 00:00:35.860 for any of us in an instant. 00:00:35.860 --> 00:00:37.508 People don't realize that. 00:00:37.508 --> 00:00:38.698 I certainly didn't. 00:00:38.698 --> 00:00:39.356 Gabby Giffords: Yes. 00:00:39.356 --> 00:00:40.606 MK: And on that Saturday morning, 00:00:40.606 --> 00:00:43.570 I got this horrible phone call 00:00:43.570 --> 00:00:45.628 from Gabby's chief of staff. 00:00:45.628 --> 00:00:47.648 She didn't have much other information. 00:00:47.648 --> 00:00:49.977 She just said, "Gabby was shot." 00:00:49.977 --> 00:00:51.194 A few minutes later, I called her back 00:00:51.194 --> 00:00:53.575 and I actually thought for a second, 00:00:53.575 --> 00:00:56.314 well, maybe I just imagined getting this phone call. 00:00:56.314 --> 00:00:58.016 I called her back, and that's when she told me 00:00:58.016 --> 00:01:00.319 that Gabby had been shot in the head. 00:01:00.319 --> 00:01:02.144 And from that point on, 00:01:02.144 --> 00:01:05.756 I knew that our lives were going to be a lot different. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:05.756 --> 00:01:07.733 PM: And when you arrived at the hospital, 00:01:07.733 --> 00:01:10.457 what was the prognosis that they gave you 00:01:10.457 --> 00:01:13.705 about Gabby's condition and what recovery, if any, 00:01:13.705 --> 00:01:15.196 you could expect? NOTE Paragraph 00:01:15.196 --> 00:01:17.136 MK: Well, for a gunshot wound to the head 00:01:17.136 --> 00:01:18.338 and a traumatic brain injury, 00:01:18.338 --> 00:01:21.449 they typically can't tell you much. 00:01:21.449 --> 00:01:24.198 Every injury is different. It's not predictable 00:01:24.198 --> 00:01:26.012 like often a stroke might be predictable, 00:01:26.012 --> 00:01:28.746 which is another TBI kind of injury. 00:01:28.746 --> 00:01:31.738 So they didn't know how long Gabby would be in a coma, 00:01:31.738 --> 00:01:34.533 didn't know when that would change 00:01:34.533 --> 00:01:37.696 and what the prognosis would be. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:37.696 --> 00:01:41.502 PM: Gabby, has your recovery 00:01:41.502 --> 00:01:46.004 been an effort to create a new Gabby Giffords 00:01:46.004 --> 00:01:49.287 or reclaim the old Gabby Giffords? NOTE Paragraph 00:01:49.287 --> 00:01:53.853 GG: The new one -- better, stronger, tougher. 00:01:53.853 --> 00:01:58.210 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:01:58.210 --> 00:02:00.570 MK: That to say, 00:02:00.570 --> 00:02:03.976 when you look at the picture behind us, 00:02:03.976 --> 00:02:05.620 to come back from that kind of injury 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:07.848 and come back strong and stronger than ever 00:02:07.848 --> 00:02:09.684 is a really tough thing to do. 00:02:09.684 --> 00:02:11.178 I don't know anybody 00:02:11.178 --> 00:02:13.800 that's as tough as my wonderful wife right here. 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:17.052 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:17.052 --> 00:02:19.980 PM: And what were the first signs 00:02:19.980 --> 00:02:23.445 that recovery was not only going to be possible 00:02:23.445 --> 00:02:26.096 but you were going to have some semblance 00:02:26.096 --> 00:02:28.701 of the life that you and Gabby had planned? NOTE Paragraph 00:02:28.701 --> 00:02:30.979 MK: Well, the first thing, for me, was 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:34.439 Gabby was still kind of almost unconscious, 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:39.965 but she did something when she was in the ICU hospital bed 00:02:39.965 --> 00:02:41.750 that she used to do when we might 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:43.685 be out to dinner at a restaurant, 00:02:43.685 --> 00:02:45.568 in that she pulled my ring off 00:02:45.568 --> 00:02:48.667 and she flipped it from one finger to the next, 00:02:48.667 --> 00:02:50.812 and at that point I knew 00:02:50.812 --> 00:02:52.396 that she was still in there. 00:02:52.396 --> 00:02:54.062 PM: And there were certain words, too. 00:02:54.062 --> 00:02:57.113 Didn't she surprise you with words in the beginning? NOTE Paragraph 00:02:57.113 --> 00:03:03.050 MK: Well, it was tough in the beginning. GG: What? What? Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:03.050 --> 00:03:04.430 MK: Yeah, that was it. 00:03:04.430 --> 00:03:07.670 For the first month, that was the extent 00:03:07.670 --> 00:03:09.146 of Gabby's vocabulary. 00:03:09.146 --> 00:03:11.782 For some reason, she has aphasia, 00:03:11.782 --> 00:03:13.778 which is difficulty with communication. 00:03:13.778 --> 00:03:16.220 She latched on to the word "chicken," 00:03:16.220 --> 00:03:19.496 which isn't the best but certainly is not the worst. 00:03:19.496 --> 00:03:20.981 (Laughter) 00:03:20.981 --> 00:03:22.344 And we were actually worried 00:03:22.344 --> 00:03:26.585 it could have been a lot worse than that. 00:03:26.585 --> 00:03:28.945 PM: Gabby, what's been the toughest challenge 00:03:28.945 --> 00:03:31.737 for you during this recovery? NOTE Paragraph 00:03:31.737 --> 00:03:36.041 GG: Talking. Really hard. Really. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:36.041 --> 00:03:39.139 MK: Yeah, with aphasia, Gabby knows what she wants to say, 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:41.013 she just can't get it out. 00:03:41.013 --> 00:03:42.425 She understands everything, 00:03:42.425 --> 00:03:44.775 but the communication is just very difficult 00:03:44.775 --> 00:03:47.017 because when you look at the picture, 00:03:47.017 --> 00:03:51.653 the part of your brain where those communication centers are 00:03:51.653 --> 00:03:53.433 are on the left side of your head, 00:03:53.433 --> 00:03:55.220 which is where the bullet passed through. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:55.220 --> 00:03:57.433 PM: So you have to do a very dangerous thing: 00:03:57.433 --> 00:03:59.079 speak for your wife. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:59.079 --> 00:04:00.684 MK: I do. 00:04:00.684 --> 00:04:05.020 It might be some of the most dangerous things I've ever done. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:06.920 PM: Gabby, are you optimistic 00:04:06.920 --> 00:04:10.183 about your continuing recovery -- 00:04:10.183 --> 00:04:12.407 walking, talking, 00:04:12.407 --> 00:04:14.911 being able to move your arm and leg? NOTE Paragraph 00:04:14.911 --> 00:04:19.265 GG: I'm optimistic. It will be a long, hard haul, 00:04:19.265 --> 00:04:22.113 but I'm optimistic. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:22.113 --> 00:04:25.317 PM: That seems to be the number one characteristic of Gabby Giffords, 00:04:25.317 --> 00:04:26.596 wouldn't you say? (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:26.596 --> 00:04:28.026 MK: Gabby's always been really optimistic. 00:04:28.026 --> 00:04:30.804 She works incredibly hard every day. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:30.804 --> 00:04:33.808 GG: On the treadmill, walked on my treadmill, 00:04:33.808 --> 00:04:37.285 Spanish lessons, French horn. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:37.285 --> 00:04:39.930 MK: It's only my wife who could be -- 00:04:39.930 --> 00:04:41.678 and if you knew her before she was injured, 00:04:41.678 --> 00:04:43.590 you would kind of understand this -- 00:04:43.590 --> 00:04:45.300 somebody who could be injured 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:48.220 and have such a hard time communicating 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.130 and meets with a speech therapist, 00:04:50.130 --> 00:04:52.165 and then about a month ago, she says, 00:04:52.165 --> 00:04:55.867 "I want to learn Spanish again." NOTE Paragraph 00:04:55.867 --> 00:04:57.901 PM: Well, let's take a little closer look 00:04:57.901 --> 00:05:00.799 at the wife, and this was even before 00:05:00.799 --> 00:05:02.525 you met Gabby Giffords. 00:05:02.525 --> 00:05:04.565 And she's on a motor scooter there, 00:05:04.565 --> 00:05:08.085 but it's my understanding that's a very tame image 00:05:08.085 --> 00:05:10.581 of what Gabby Giffords was like growing up. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:10.581 --> 00:05:13.333 MK: Yeah, Gabby, she used to race motorcycles. 00:05:13.333 --> 00:05:15.253 So that's a scooter, but she had -- 00:05:15.253 --> 00:05:18.739 well, she still has a BMW motorcycle. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:18.739 --> 00:05:21.415 PM: Does she ride it? MK: Well, that's a challenge 00:05:21.415 --> 00:05:24.063 with not being able to move her right arm, 00:05:24.063 --> 00:05:28.249 but I think with something I know about, Velcro, 00:05:28.249 --> 00:05:30.505 we might be able to get her back on the bike, 00:05:30.505 --> 00:05:35.119 Velcro her right hand up onto the handlebar. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:35.119 --> 00:05:37.417 PM: I have a feeling we might see that picture next, 00:05:37.417 --> 00:05:39.050 Gabby. 00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:41.495 But you meet, you're already decided 00:05:41.495 --> 00:05:44.485 that you're going to dedicate your life to service. 00:05:44.485 --> 00:05:46.492 You're going into the military 00:05:46.492 --> 00:05:48.773 and eventually to become an astronaut. 00:05:48.773 --> 00:05:51.293 So you meet. 00:05:51.293 --> 00:05:54.070 What attracts you to Gabby? NOTE Paragraph 00:05:54.070 --> 00:05:57.674 MK: Well, when we met, oddly enough, 00:05:57.674 --> 00:06:00.280 it was the last time we were in Vancouver, 00:06:00.280 --> 00:06:02.726 about 10 years ago. We met in Vancouver, 00:06:02.726 --> 00:06:06.675 at the airport, on a trip that we were both taking 00:06:06.675 --> 00:06:08.530 to China, 00:06:08.530 --> 00:06:10.574 that I would actually, from my background, 00:06:10.574 --> 00:06:12.802 I would call it a boondoggle. 00:06:12.802 --> 00:06:15.624 Gabby would — GG: Fact-finding mission. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:15.624 --> 00:06:19.194 MK: She would call it an important fact-finding mission. 00:06:19.194 --> 00:06:21.580 She was a state senator at the time, 00:06:21.580 --> 00:06:24.614 and we met here, at the airport, 00:06:24.614 --> 00:06:26.132 before a trip to China. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:26.132 --> 00:06:28.738 PM: Would you describe it as a whirlwind romance? NOTE Paragraph 00:06:28.738 --> 00:06:30.786 GG: No, no, no. 00:06:30.786 --> 00:06:33.486 (Laughter) 00:06:33.486 --> 00:06:35.252 A good friend. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:35.252 --> 00:06:37.830 MK: Yeah, we were friends for a long time. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:37.830 --> 00:06:42.711 GG: Yes. (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:06:42.711 --> 00:06:48.567 MK: And then she invited me on, about a year or so later, 00:06:48.567 --> 00:06:51.267 she invited me on a date. 00:06:51.267 --> 00:06:52.701 Where'd we go, Gabby? NOTE Paragraph 00:06:52.701 --> 00:06:53.899 GG: Death row. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:53.899 --> 00:06:58.245 MK: Yes. Our first date was to death row 00:06:58.245 --> 00:07:01.549 at the Florence state prison in Arizona, 00:07:01.549 --> 00:07:06.959 which was just outside Gabby's state senate district. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:08.856 They were working on some legislation 00:07:08.856 --> 00:07:11.691 that had to do with crime and punishment 00:07:11.691 --> 00:07:13.625 and capital punishment in the state of Arizona. 00:07:13.625 --> 00:07:16.449 So she couldn't get anybody else to go with her, 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:20.248 and I'm like, "Of course I want to go to death row." 00:07:20.248 --> 00:07:22.637 So that was our first date. 00:07:22.637 --> 00:07:25.367 We've been together ever since. GG: Yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:25.367 --> 00:07:27.457 PM: Well, that might have contributed to the reason 00:07:27.457 --> 00:07:30.009 that Gabby decided to marry you. 00:07:30.009 --> 00:07:32.781 You were willing to go to death row, after all. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:32.781 --> 00:07:33.865 MK: I guess. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:33.865 --> 00:07:37.545 PM: Gabby, what did make you want to marry Mark? NOTE Paragraph 00:07:37.545 --> 00:07:43.781 GG: Um, good friends. Best friends. Best friends. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:43.781 --> 00:07:47.271 MK: I thought we always 00:07:47.271 --> 00:07:49.503 had a very special relationship. 00:07:49.503 --> 00:07:51.395 We've gone through some tough times 00:07:51.395 --> 00:07:55.421 and it's only made it stronger. GG: Stronger. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:55.421 --> 00:07:57.967 PM: After you got married, however, 00:07:57.967 --> 00:08:00.890 you continued very independent lives. 00:08:00.890 --> 00:08:03.211 Actually, you didn't even live together. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:03.211 --> 00:08:05.045 MK: We had one of those commuter marriages. 00:08:05.045 --> 00:08:08.100 In our case, it was Washington, D.C., Houston, 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:09.223 Tucson. 00:08:09.223 --> 00:08:10.903 Sometimes we'd go clockwise, 00:08:10.903 --> 00:08:12.457 sometimes counterclockwise, 00:08:12.457 --> 00:08:14.072 to all those different places, 00:08:14.072 --> 00:08:17.949 and we didn't really live together 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:20.249 until that Saturday morning. 00:08:20.249 --> 00:08:22.547 Within an hour of Gabby being shot, 00:08:22.547 --> 00:08:24.129 I was on an airplane to Tucson, 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:26.010 and that was the moment 00:08:26.010 --> 00:08:28.753 where that had changed things. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:28.753 --> 00:08:31.245 PM: And also, Gabby, you had run for Congress 00:08:31.245 --> 00:08:33.517 after being a state senator 00:08:33.517 --> 00:08:36.541 and served in Congress for six years. 00:08:36.541 --> 00:08:38.067 What did you like best 00:08:38.067 --> 00:08:40.439 about being in Congress? NOTE Paragraph 00:08:40.439 --> 00:08:44.231 GG: Fast pace. Fast pace. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:44.231 --> 00:08:46.639 PM: Well it was the way you did it. GG: Yes, yes. Fast pace. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:49.483 PM: I'm not sure people would describe it entirely that way. 00:08:49.483 --> 00:08:51.196 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:08:51.196 --> 00:08:53.296 MK: Yeah, you know, legislation is often 00:08:53.296 --> 00:08:55.683 at a colossally slow pace, 00:08:55.683 --> 00:08:58.111 but my wife, and I have to admit, 00:08:58.111 --> 00:08:59.780 a lot of other members of Congress that I know, 00:08:59.780 --> 00:09:01.188 work incredibly hard. 00:09:01.188 --> 00:09:03.463 I mean, Gabby would run around like a crazy person, 00:09:03.463 --> 00:09:05.317 never take a day off, 00:09:05.317 --> 00:09:07.443 maybe a half a day off a month, 00:09:07.443 --> 00:09:09.923 and whenever she was awake she was working, 00:09:09.923 --> 00:09:12.308 and she really, really thrived on that, 00:09:12.308 --> 00:09:14.689 and still does today. GG: Yes. Yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:14.689 --> 00:09:17.067 PM: Installing solar panels on the top of her house, 00:09:17.067 --> 00:09:18.349 I have to say. 00:09:18.349 --> 00:09:21.927 So after the tragic incident, Mark, 00:09:21.927 --> 00:09:23.656 you decided to resign 00:09:23.656 --> 00:09:25.356 your position as an astronaut, 00:09:25.356 --> 00:09:26.910 even though you were supposed to take 00:09:26.910 --> 00:09:28.651 the next space mission. 00:09:28.651 --> 00:09:30.332 Everybody, including Gabby, 00:09:30.332 --> 00:09:31.912 talked you into going back, 00:09:31.912 --> 00:09:33.785 and you did end up taking. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:33.785 --> 00:09:36.953 MK: Kind of. The day after Gabby was injured, 00:09:36.953 --> 00:09:39.057 I called my boss, the chief astronaut, 00:09:39.057 --> 00:09:41.009 Dr. Peggy Whitson, and I said, 00:09:41.009 --> 00:09:42.674 "Peggy, I know I'm launching in space 00:09:42.674 --> 00:09:44.967 in three months from now. 00:09:44.967 --> 00:09:47.418 Gabby's in a coma. I'm in Tucson. 00:09:47.418 --> 00:09:49.233 You've got to find a replacement for me." 00:09:49.233 --> 00:09:50.953 So I didn't actually resign from being an astronaut, 00:09:50.953 --> 00:09:53.875 but I gave up my job and they found a replacement. 00:09:53.875 --> 00:09:56.865 Months later, maybe about two months later, 00:09:56.865 --> 00:09:59.075 I started about getting my job back, 00:09:59.075 --> 00:10:00.740 which is something, 00:10:00.740 --> 00:10:03.153 when you become this primary caregiver person, 00:10:03.153 --> 00:10:05.545 which some people in the audience here 00:10:05.545 --> 00:10:08.093 have certainly been in that position, 00:10:08.093 --> 00:10:09.870 it's a challenging role but at some point 00:10:09.870 --> 00:10:12.591 you've got to figure out when you're going to get your life back, 00:10:12.591 --> 00:10:14.364 and at the time, I couldn't ask Gabby 00:10:14.364 --> 00:10:18.045 if she wanted me to go fly in the space shuttle again. 00:10:18.045 --> 00:10:20.607 But I knew she was— GG: Yes. Yes. Yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:20.607 --> 00:10:22.647 MK: She was the biggest supporter of my career, 00:10:22.647 --> 00:10:24.843 and I knew it was the right thing to do. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:24.843 --> 00:10:26.848 PM: And yet I'm trying to imagine, Mark, 00:10:26.848 --> 00:10:30.126 what that was like, going off onto a mission, 00:10:30.126 --> 00:10:33.623 one presumes safely, but it's never a guarantee, 00:10:33.623 --> 00:10:36.660 and knowing that Gabby is — NOTE Paragraph 00:10:36.660 --> 00:10:40.128 MK: Well not only was she still in the hospital, 00:10:40.128 --> 00:10:42.488 on the third day of that flight, 00:10:42.488 --> 00:10:43.750 literally while I was 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:45.323 rendezvousing with the space station, 00:10:45.323 --> 00:10:48.874 and you've got two vehicles moving at 17,500 miles an hour, 00:10:48.874 --> 00:10:51.489 I'm actually flying it, looking out the window, 00:10:51.489 --> 00:10:53.168 a bunch of computers, 00:10:53.168 --> 00:10:55.992 Gabby was in brain surgery, 00:10:55.992 --> 00:10:58.676 literally at that time having the final surgery 00:10:58.676 --> 00:11:01.618 to replace the piece of skull 00:11:01.618 --> 00:11:03.367 that they took out on the day she was injured 00:11:03.367 --> 00:11:07.060 with a prosthetic, yeah, which is the whole side of her head. 00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:09.040 Now if any of you guys would ever come 00:11:09.040 --> 00:11:12.276 to our house in Tucson for the first time, 00:11:12.276 --> 00:11:14.012 Gabby would usually go up to the freezer 00:11:14.012 --> 00:11:16.080 and pull out the piece of Tupperware 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:19.140 that has the real skull. (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:19.140 --> 00:11:22.244 GG: The real skull. MK: Which freaks people out, sometimes. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:22.244 --> 00:11:25.936 PM: Is that for appetizer or dessert, Mark? NOTE Paragraph 00:11:25.936 --> 00:11:30.034 MK: Well, it just gets the conversation going. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:30.034 --> 00:11:32.062 PM: But there was a lot of conversation about 00:11:32.062 --> 00:11:35.140 something you did, Gabby, after Mark's flight. 00:11:35.140 --> 00:11:38.578 You had to make another step of courage too, 00:11:38.578 --> 00:11:42.380 because here was Congress deadlocked again, 00:11:42.380 --> 00:11:48.302 and you got out of the rehabilitation center, 00:11:48.302 --> 00:11:50.763 got yourself to Washington 00:11:50.773 --> 00:11:53.670 so that you could walk on the floor of the House -- 00:11:53.670 --> 00:11:56.322 I can barely talk about this without getting emotional — 00:11:56.322 --> 00:11:59.281 and cast a vote which could have been 00:11:59.281 --> 00:12:01.116 the deciding vote. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:01.116 --> 00:12:04.365 GG: The debt ceiling. The debt ceiling. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:04.365 --> 00:12:06.924 MK: Yeah, we had that vote, 00:12:06.924 --> 00:12:08.874 I guess about five months after Gabby was injured, 00:12:08.874 --> 00:12:11.372 and she made this bold decision to go back. 00:12:11.372 --> 00:12:13.525 A very controversial vote, 00:12:13.525 --> 00:12:15.034 but she wanted to be there 00:12:15.034 --> 00:12:17.631 to have her voice heard one more time. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:17.631 --> 00:12:19.406 PM: And after that, resigned 00:12:19.406 --> 00:12:23.360 and began what has been a very slow 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.848 and challenging recovery. 00:12:25.848 --> 00:12:28.986 What's life like, day to day? NOTE Paragraph 00:12:28.986 --> 00:12:31.973 MK: Well, that's Gabby's service dog Nelson. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:31.973 --> 00:12:32.936 GG: Nelson. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:32.936 --> 00:12:35.479 MK: New member of our family. GG: Yes, yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:35.479 --> 00:12:38.271 MK: And we got him from a— NOTE Paragraph 00:12:38.271 --> 00:12:40.134 GG: Prison. Murder. MK: We have a lot of connections 00:12:40.134 --> 00:12:42.786 with prisons, apparently. (Laughter) 00:12:42.786 --> 00:12:44.175 Nelson came from a prison, 00:12:44.175 --> 00:12:48.719 raised by a murderer in Massachusetts. 00:12:48.719 --> 00:12:53.049 But she did a great job with this dog. 00:12:53.049 --> 00:12:55.436 He's a fabulous service dog. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:55.436 --> 00:12:58.379 PM: So Gabby, what have you learned 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:02.513 from your experiences the past few years? NOTE Paragraph 00:13:02.513 --> 00:13:08.521 MK: Yeah, what have you learned? GG: Deeper. Deeper. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:08.521 --> 00:13:10.383 PM: Your relationship is deeper. 00:13:10.383 --> 00:13:13.582 It has to be. You're together all the time now. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:13.582 --> 00:13:16.040 MK: I imagine being grateful, too, right? NOTE Paragraph 00:13:16.040 --> 00:13:17.422 GG: Grateful. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:17.422 --> 00:13:19.489 PM: This is a picture of family and friends gathering, 00:13:19.489 --> 00:13:23.822 but I love these pictures because they show 00:13:23.822 --> 00:13:27.357 the Gabby and Mark relationship now. 00:13:27.357 --> 00:13:29.885 And you describe it, Gabby, over and over, 00:13:29.885 --> 00:13:35.710 as deeper on so many levels. Yes? NOTE Paragraph 00:13:35.710 --> 00:13:37.262 MK: I think when something tragic happens 00:13:37.262 --> 00:13:39.916 in a family, it can pull people together. 00:13:39.916 --> 00:13:42.080 Here's us watching the space shuttle 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:44.130 fly over Tucson, 00:13:44.130 --> 00:13:45.276 the Space Shuttle Endeavour, 00:13:45.276 --> 00:13:47.847 the one that I was the commander on its last flight, 00:13:47.847 --> 00:13:51.353 on its final flight on top of an airplane 00:13:51.353 --> 00:13:54.473 on a 747 on its way to L.A., 00:13:54.473 --> 00:13:59.083 NASA was kind enough to have it fly over Tucson. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:59.083 --> 00:14:02.559 PM: And of course, the two of you 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.141 go through these challenges 00:14:04.141 --> 00:14:06.533 of a slow and difficult recovery, 00:14:06.533 --> 00:14:09.214 and yet, Gabby, how do you maintain 00:14:09.214 --> 00:14:12.941 your optimism and positive outlook? NOTE Paragraph 00:14:12.941 --> 00:14:16.086 GG: I want to make the world a better place. 00:14:16.086 --> 00:14:23.508 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:14:23.508 --> 00:14:25.366 PM: And you're doing that 00:14:25.366 --> 00:14:27.560 even though your recovery has to remain 00:14:27.560 --> 00:14:29.462 front and center for both of you. 00:14:29.462 --> 00:14:31.740 You are people who have done service 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:35.442 to your country and you are continuing to do that 00:14:35.442 --> 00:14:38.461 with a new initiative, a new purpose. 00:14:38.461 --> 00:14:41.868 And Gabby, what's on the agenda now? NOTE Paragraph 00:14:41.868 --> 00:14:45.223 GG: Americans for Responsible Solutions. NOTE Paragraph 00:14:45.223 --> 00:14:49.362 MK: That's our political action committee, 00:14:49.362 --> 00:14:52.759 where we are trying to get members of Congress 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:56.110 to take a more serious look at gun violence in this country, 00:14:56.110 --> 00:14:57.160 and to try to 00:14:57.160 --> 00:14:59.210 pass some reasonable legislation. NOTE Paragraph 00:14:59.210 --> 00:15:07.213 GG: Yes. Yes. (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:15:07.213 --> 00:15:09.690 MK: You know, this affected us very personally, 00:15:09.690 --> 00:15:12.412 but it wasn't what happened to Gabby that got us involved. 00:15:12.412 --> 00:15:16.240 It was really the 20 murdered first graders 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:19.178 and kindergartners in Newtown, Connecticut, 00:15:19.178 --> 00:15:21.732 and the response that we saw afterwards 00:15:21.732 --> 00:15:25.157 where -- well, look what's happened so far. 00:15:25.157 --> 00:15:27.182 So far the national response has been 00:15:27.182 --> 00:15:28.510 pretty much to do nothing. 00:15:28.510 --> 00:15:30.322 We're trying to change that. NOTE Paragraph 00:15:30.322 --> 00:15:31.814 PM: There have been 11 mass shootings 00:15:31.814 --> 00:15:32.972 since Newtown, 00:15:32.972 --> 00:15:36.186 a school a week in the first two months of last year. 00:15:36.186 --> 00:15:37.910 What are you doing that's different 00:15:37.910 --> 00:15:40.140 than other efforts to balance 00:15:40.140 --> 00:15:42.962 rights for gun ownership and responsibilities? NOTE Paragraph 00:15:42.962 --> 00:15:45.304 MK: We're gun owners, we support gun rights. 00:15:45.304 --> 00:15:47.546 At the same time, we've got to do everything we can 00:15:47.546 --> 00:15:50.083 to keep guns out of the hands of criminals 00:15:50.083 --> 00:15:51.976 and the dangerously mentally ill. 00:15:51.976 --> 00:15:54.494 It's not too difficult to do that. 00:15:54.494 --> 00:15:56.170 This issue, like many others, 00:15:56.170 --> 00:16:00.159 has become very polarizing and political, 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.460 and we're trying to bring some balance 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:03.924 to the debate in Washington. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:03.924 --> 00:16:05.962 PM: Thank you both for that effort. 00:16:05.962 --> 00:16:09.196 And not surprisingly for this woman of courage 00:16:09.196 --> 00:16:10.992 and of a sense of adventure, 00:16:10.992 --> 00:16:13.351 you just keep challenging yourself, 00:16:13.351 --> 00:16:15.154 and the sky seems to be the limit. 00:16:15.154 --> 00:16:16.898 I have to share this video 00:16:16.898 --> 00:16:19.446 of your most recent adventure. 00:16:19.446 --> 00:16:22.380 Take a look at Gabby. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:22.380 --> 00:16:25.579 MK: This is a couple months ago. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.375 (Video) MK: You okay? You did great. GG: Yes, it's gorgeous. Thank you. 00:16:32.375 --> 00:16:38.563 Good stuff. Gorgeous. Oh, thank you. 00:16:38.563 --> 00:16:42.941 Mountains. Gorgeous mountains. 00:16:47.477 --> 00:16:49.071 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:16:49.071 --> 00:16:51.913 MK: Let me just say 00:16:51.913 --> 00:16:53.948 one of the guys that Gabby jumped with 00:16:53.948 --> 00:16:56.018 that day was a Navy SEAL 00:16:56.018 --> 00:16:58.286 who she met in Afghanistan 00:16:58.286 --> 00:16:59.835 who was injured in combat, 00:16:59.835 --> 00:17:01.327 had a really rough time. 00:17:01.327 --> 00:17:02.861 Gabby visited him 00:17:02.861 --> 00:17:04.539 when he was at Bethesda 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:06.940 and went through a really tough period. 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:08.447 He started doing better. 00:17:08.447 --> 00:17:10.697 Months later, Gabby was shot in the head, 00:17:10.697 --> 00:17:11.971 and then he supported her 00:17:11.971 --> 00:17:13.973 while she was in the hospital in Houston. 00:17:13.973 --> 00:17:16.178 So they have a very, very nice connection. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:16.178 --> 00:17:17.420 GG: Yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:18.576 PM: What a wonderful moment. 00:17:18.576 --> 00:17:20.533 Because this is the TED stage, 00:17:20.533 --> 00:17:23.956 Gabby, I know you worked very hard 00:17:23.956 --> 00:17:27.270 to think of the ideas that you wanted to leave 00:17:27.270 --> 00:17:28.840 with this audience. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:28.840 --> 00:17:32.690 GG: Thank you. 00:17:34.732 --> 00:17:36.950 Hello, everyone. 00:17:36.950 --> 00:17:41.250 Thank you for inviting us here today. 00:17:41.250 --> 00:17:43.380 It's been a long, hard haul, 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:46.521 but I'm getting better. 00:17:46.521 --> 00:17:48.430 I'm working hard, 00:17:48.430 --> 00:17:51.901 lots of therapy -- speech therapy, 00:17:51.901 --> 00:17:55.166 physical therapy, and yoga too. 00:17:55.166 --> 00:17:57.680 But my spirit is strong as ever. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:01.880 I'm still fighting to make the world a better place, 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.832 and you can too. 00:18:04.832 --> 00:18:08.319 Get involved with your community. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:11.941 Be a leader. Set an example. 00:18:11.941 --> 00:18:14.998 Be passionate. Be courageous. 00:18:14.998 --> 00:18:18.620 Be your best. Thank you very much. NOTE Paragraph 00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:21.435 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:18:21.435 --> 00:18:25.455 MK: Thank you. GG: Thank you. NOTE Paragraph 00:18:25.455 --> 00:18:27.806 (Applause) 00:18:27.806 --> 00:18:31.724 MK: Thank you everybody. GG: Bye bye. (Applause)