Doctors hope for "decent recovery" for 14-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousufzai
(CBS News) The most compelling story in the world involves a 14-year-old girl fighting for her life. She held up a light against the darkness of ignorance - and now millions around the world are watching to see if she will die for her cause.
Malala Yousufzai was taken on Monday to a British hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head. A week ago in Pakistan, a Taliban gunman climbed aboard her school bus to assassinate her because of her long campaign to open schools to more girls in that country.
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Doctors are just beginning to examine Yousufzai, and there's hope she'll make what doctors called a "decent recovery," although her treatment and rehabilitation could take months.
Yousufzai was flown out of Pakistan in a specially equipped air ambulance. She arrived this afternoon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, a state-of-the-art medical center that specializes in the treatment of serious traumas like head injuries and severe gunshot wounds.
The hospital has treated thousands of injured soldiers from Afghanistan.
Dr. Dave Rosser was part of the reason why Yousufzai was flown there.
"We are the receiving hospital for the British battle casualties and have been for the last 10 years," he said. "We do unfortunately have very extensive experience with this sort of traumatic injury.
Yousufzai flew there without any family, but CBS News was told that her parents left Pakistan on Monday evening and expected to arrive Tuesday morning.
