Texas Gov. Greg Abbott underwent surgery Tuesday for serious burns sustained late last week, forcing him to miss a memorial service for five fallen Dallas police officers.

As Abbott urged Texans to come together Friday evening in the wake of Thursday's mass shooting, few knew about the physical pain he was fighting through. Hours before the deadly events in Dallas, Abbott was severely burned in an accident involving scalding water while on vacation with his family in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

An accident in 1984 left the governor paralyzed from the waist down. His office described the sensations following the accident as "shooting pains" in his legs, and told KVUE Abbott has been in and out of the hospital since Friday. The governor spoke with President Obama on Saturday from an Austin hospital room, where he received treatment for second- and third-degree burns on his legs and feet.

An examination at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Monday found a minor infection. He is scheduled to remain at the hospital overnight and undergo skin grafts to repair damage on both feet on Tuesday, the same day as a memorial honoring fallen officers in Dallas. First Lady Cecilia Abbott will attend in his place, alongside President Obama and former President George W. Bush.

Abbott's staff told KVUE Monday the governor is in good spirits, adding in a statement, "He is grateful for all of the prayers and well-wishes from the public." Many took to social media to wish him a speedy recovery, including Austin Mayor Steve Adler and the Texas Democratic Party.

Abbott's office said Tuesday the procedure was a success and he will, on the recommendation of doctors, extend his stay at Brooke Army Medical Center "to allow for further healing and to ensure a prompt recovery."

Decisions regarding the governor's schedule continue to be day-to-day. He could miss next week's GOP convention, which some GOP leaders are actively choosing to skip.

"Everyone has to make their own decision. There are some Republicans that are really not comfortable with Donald Trump as the nominee, don't want to be part of it," said GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak, who explains some -- like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- are also focused on tough reelections. Long a question mark, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz met with the presumptive Republican nominee last week.

"There was no discussion of any endorsement. He asked me if I would speak at the convention and I said I would be very glad to do so," Cruz told reporters Thursday.

"Cruz sees himself as a political figure akin to Ronald Reagan," said Mackowiak, pointing to the 1976 Republican National Convention in which the California governor launched an unsuccessful coup against incumbent President Gerald Ford. While Reagan lost, he was invited to deliver an impromptu speech that captivated conservatives. "Cruz I think sees this moment similar to Reagan's moment at the 1976 convention."

"I'm going to urge Americans to get back to the Constitution, to change the path we're on," Cruz said Thursday. "Eight failed years of the Obama-Clinton economy, eight failed years of a presidency disregarding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, eight failed years of a commander-in-chief not protecting America and keeping us safe from radical Islamic terrorism, it's time for that to end. And so I'm going to do my very best to point to the policies and principles that we should be unifying behind and that give a better direction for this country going forward."

On the blue team, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) is expected to endorse presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Tuesday in New Hampshire. Progress Texas executive director Ed Espinoza credits his influence with helping incorporate minimum wage and marijuana planks into the party platform.

"The important thing to remember is that Bernie Sanders brought a lot of new people into the party, a lot of idealistic people who haven't really been involved in politics before," said Espinoza. "I think this is an important in sort of building a bridge and demonstrating that we really are a big tent party, that we can have different views, but that we can work together and realize the things that unify us."