Giffords making
small movements on her own
01/12/2011
Four days after being shot in
the head, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was making small movements on her own,
tugging at her hospital gown and touching her wounds, one of her doctors said
Wednesday.
Giffords remained in critical
condition at Tucson's University Medical Center after she was struck once in the
head Saturday. Authorities accuse Jared Loughner, 22, of opening fire on a crowd
at an event she was holding. Nineteen people were shot and six died.
The three-term Democrat was
expected to live and has been making progress. Giffords is more alert after
nurses eased her sedation. She can breathe on her own, respond to voice commands
and even make small spontaneous motions.
"She was able to actually even
feel her wounds herself," said trauma surgeon Dr. Peter Rhee, adding she had
also pulled at her gown.
Rhee declined to elaborate about
her latest progress.
Giffords' husband, astronaut
Mark Kelly, has remained by her bedside. Kelly is supposed to command shuttle
Endeavour's final mission in April, but NASA has refused to discuss his flight
status.
Though Giffords hasn't suffered
any setbacks in her recovery, her long-term outlook remains unclear.
Rhee said he expected some
permanent damage to occur from the bullet passing through the left side of her
brain.
"Will she be functional, viable,
normal? I can't say for sure, but I'm very hopeful she will be," he said.
One of Giffords' political aide,
65-year-old Ron Barber, has a memory of the rampage, said his daughter Jenny
Douglas.
"He remembers it all, very
clearly," said Douglas, who declined to share the details.
Barber was recovering after
being shot in the leg, face and neck area. He constantly peppers his family
about the congresswoman. Douglas thinks a meeting might help with his recovery.
"He's just asking about her
everyday," she said.