Gabrielle Giffords Improving, Moving to Houston Rehab Center

Gabrielle Giffords Improving, 

Moving to Houston Rehab Center

The status of Gabrielle Giffords continues to improve.

In the latest encouraging news about the Arizona Congresswoman, doctors plan on moving her to a rehab center in Houston in the very near future. This follows yesterday's significant step, as doctors took Gabrielle Giffords outside for the first time since the January 8 shooting.

"I saw the biggest smile she could gather," trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said of the politician's reaction to the hospital's roof deck. "We are very happy to have her enjoying the sunshine of Arizona."

Among recent improvements made by Gabrielle Giffords:

• She successfully used an iPad.
• She picked out different colored objects.
• She moved her lips, although it's still unclear whether or not she can form words.

Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords's astronaut of a husband, thinks his wife is familiar with her surroundings. At yesterday's briefing, he said: "I can just look in her eyes and tell. She is very aware of the situation."


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Doctors Stunned, Impressed by Recovery of Gabrielle Giffords

Doctors Stunned, Impressed by Recovery of Gabrielle Giffords

With a nation rallying behind her, Gabrielle Giffords is recovering at a rapid, awe-inducing pace from the tragic events of last weekend.

The Congresswoman is already sitting up and communicating with her hands, facts that have stunned doctors at Tucson's University Medical Center.

"She is able to move both of her legs on command," says neurosurgeon Michael Lemole. "That's huge. We say, 'Gabrielle Giffords, lift your legs up,' and she lifts both of them up."

As detailed Tuesday night by President Barack Obama, Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes for the first time since the shooting soon after he paid her a hospital visit.

"That implies that the part of the brain that lets us awake from sleeping, the arousal center, is functioning," says Lemole. "Miracles happen every day. A lot of medicine is outside of our control, so we're wise to acknowledge miracles."

The surgeon concluded that the goal is to get Gabrielle Giffords sitting in a chair by the end of this weekend.

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Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Congresswoman, Shot in Head at Public Event

Gabrielle Giffords was at the center of what President Obama has described as an "unspeakable tragedy" this morning.

The Arizona Congresswoman was one of 18 people shot - 12 of whom are injured, six reportedly killed - during a shooting in Tuscon. The public event was a meeting of constituents that took place outside a Safeway grocery store.

 Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Congresswoman, Shot in Head at Public Event

She underwent surgery this afternoon for a wound to the head, with Dr. Peter Rhee of the University Medical Center saying he's "very optimistic about her recovery."

The suspected culprit has been identified as a 22-year old named Jared Lee Loughner.
On her Facebook page, Sarah Palin offered "sincere condolences" to Giffords' family and others involved in the shooting. Why is this relevant?

In March 2010, - after Tweeting at "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America [to] RELOAD!" - Palin used gun sights on a map to target Democrats engaged in tough re-election battles.

Gabrielle Giffords was one of those politicians.