Remarkably, a nursery rhyme that generations of parents have sung to their children to lull them to sleep has played a key role in bringing her back to life as she learns to talk and, eventually, walk again.
When Miss Giffords mouthed the words of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as her music therapist Maegan Morrow sang the ditty and strummed a guitar, it brought tears to those gathered at her bedside.
She has now progressed to sing-alongs of jazz and rock classics such as I Can’t Give You Anything But Love and American Pie in her sixth-floor room at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Memorial Hermann hospital…
“Neurologic music therapy works on both the physical and mental aspects of a patient’s recovery,” said Miss Morrow, who is prevented by confidentiality laws from discussing the specifics of Miss Gifford’s case.
“It helps with words and memory. The patients automatically join in with songs they know and love. And of course songs and emotions go hand-in-hand.”
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