Photo Credit: Sacramento Bee
While the rest of the nation is still reeling from the Arizona killing spree tragedy, the apparent target of the deranged assassination attempt is “optimistically” healing due to the hailed efforts of an esteemed Korean American surgeon.
Dr. Peter Rhee, 49-year-old chief of trauma at Tuscon’s University Medical Center, is being credited with saving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ life after successfully operating on her shortly after the bullet pierced through her brain. In addition to his extensive military medical background (24 years in the Navy and two battlefield casualty care stints in Afghanistan and Iraq), Rhee was more than highly prepared and uniquely qualified for the crucial but relatively underwhelming job: he typically treats, on average, 30 gunshot wounds a day at UMC and has worked on “hundreds and hundreds” of comparatively more devastating injuries in war zones. Despite having had substantial assistance from two “world famous” military trauma/neurological doctors and the rest of his skilled team, Rhee is being solely lauded as Giffords’ savior.
The Arizona congresswoman is holding herself up as positively as one can whilst remaining in critical condition and is currently reported to be breathing sans oxygen tube and responding to doctors’ commands.
