Mark Kelly hopeful wife will attend space shuttle launch

By ZAIN SHAUK Copyright 2011 HOUSTON CHRONICLE

From Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Facebook page: "Like most days, Mark jump-starts Gabby's morning by bringing her coffee & a newspaper before a busy day of speech therapy. (Decorated cup thanks to Starbucks staff.)"

March 15, 2011, 9:05PM

Astronaut Mark Kelly on Tuesday called for more Americans to learn the life-saving skills that likely kept his wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, alive after she was shot in the head Jan. 8.

Kelly, in a conference call with reporters, also said Giffords' recovery since the shooting has been encouraging, and he remained hopeful that she would be able to attend the final launch of space shuttle Endeavour, scheduled for April 19. Kelly will command that launch.

"We're looking at that right now," he said. "We'll have to get approval from her doctors, but I'm hopeful that that could happen."

Kelly was participating in a teleconference for the American Red Cross' Gabrielle Giffords Honorary Save-a-Life Saturday, a set of more than 100 free training sessions for CPR and other life-saving skills taking place across the nation on Saturday.

Kelly said the skills being taught at the event are "critically important to get people trained to respond to an emergency like we saw on Jan. 8."

Thirteen people were wounded in the shooting, as the Arizona congresswoman met with constituents outside a Safeway in Tucson, and six others were killed.

"I'm certain that the fact that we had folks at the ... event that had prior CPR training and first-aid training, that it saved people's lives," he said. "In particular, Daniel Hernandez, Gabby's intern, has a certain level of first-aid training and the fact that he was there and was able to treat her in those first critical seconds even from the time she was injured — I mean, it was what saved her life."

'She's doing well'

AP

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords, left, is shown with her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly.

Kelly also made his first comments to the media on Giffords' progress since Feb. 4, when he commented on his decision to command Endeavour while his wife rehabilitates.

"She's doing well," he said. "She continues to improve daily. Her doctors and nurses are really encouraged. I'm really encouraged on how far she's going to get. She's going to make a really, really strong recovery."

Kelly has not set a deadline on making a decision about whether his wife can attend the launch.

Kelly said he and Giffords have had busy schedules, between his preparation for the launch and her rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Giffords engages in rehab from about 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, but Kelly sees her before and after, he said. Although he has a home in League City, Kelly has been staying with a friend downtown so he can be closer to his wife and be with her more often as she recovers.

"The time we get to spend together is pretty high-quality time," Kelly said.

He visits her each day and brings a newspaper and a cup of coffee, made for her by the staff at a local Starbucks he stops at each morning.

"We'll read some of the articles together and then I head off to work and then I'm back here usually by 6 o'clock, and I'm here until I head home."

Kelly said the Starbucks staff has made a habit of decorating cups for Giffords. A photo of one of the cups was posted on the congresswoman's Facebook page Tuesday.

"They usually put a short message on there, like 'Have a great day' or 'Good morning,' and they design it," Kelly said.

The Starbucks workers plan to get a local school to begin putting artwork on coffee cups for Giffords, he said.

"I imagine they'll be very creative," Kelly said. "And Gabby is very interested in seeing what's on her cup every morning. It's the way she starts her day."

3 area locations

The Red Cross will hold trainings on Saturday, as part of the national effort, at three Houston-area locations - in Katy, Houston and at the Johnson Space Center. Kelly has told Giffords about the trainings, and he is considering attending the event at Johnson.

The trainings will include a one-hour condensed lesson that will go over "the very same skills that were used by those who helped save lives in Tucson," including hands-on CPR, controlling external bleeding and managing shock, said Gail McGovern, president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross.

"What we'd like to be able to accomplish at the Red Cross someday is to make the words 'innocent bystander' go away," McGovern said. "That nobody will just stand by, that people will know how to react during an emergency and know exactly what to do when emergencies happen around them. We know that this training will ultimately wind up helping to save lives."