Rep. Giffords Making ‘Excellent’ Progress, May Attend Husband’s Shuttle Launch

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)
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Just two months after suffering a gunshot wound to the head that left her in critical condition, Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-AZ) is making ‘excellent’ progress in her rehabilitation treatment and can already communicate in full sentences, according to her doctors who spoke at a news conference Friday morning.

While remaining cautious, Giffords’ doctors said she has been making “leaps and bounds” in her treatment, remaining positive throughout and even surprising them at times with her steady improvement. And, as was reported Thursday, her doctors said there is a “good possibility” that she will be well enough to attend her husband’s shuttle launch on April 19.

“She’s making so much progress, and it’s so exciting for everyone, including her,” said Dr. Dong Kim. “She’s getting better on a daily basis.”

Doctors said Giffords has improved to the point where she can walk with some assistance and can communicate with them in short sentences. Her personality, they said, also appears to be unaffected, as she’s showing more than just flashes of her old self.

“It’s not like were looking for it occasionally,” Dr. Kim said of Giffords’ personality. “It’s a constant.”

There was great concern that Giffords — who suffered trauma to her brain’s left hemisphere, the side that controls speech — would have difficulty regaining the ability to speak. But doctors said the improvement they’ve seen so far indicates that she will “be even stronger” over the next few months.

Also, while Giffords apparently has no memory of the shooting, her doctors said that was normal. They said her memory was overall in good shape and that they don’t anticipate any serious lingering issues, as she still remembers childhood events and her short term memory appears to be intact.

Giffords was shot on January 8 when accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a Congress on Your Corner event, killing six and injuring 13 others, including Giffords. She spent almost a month recuperating in an Arizona hospital before being transfered to a rehab clinic in Houston, Texas.

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