The New York Times this morning offers more details about the progress that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) is making at the Houston rehabilitation center where she's being treated for the severe head injuries she received when a gunman attacked her and others on Jan. 8 in Tucson. Some highlights:
— Pia Carusone, Giffords' chief of staff, "said that on Sunday afternoon, Ms. Giffords's husband, Capt. Mark E. Kelly, put the congresswoman on the phone to talk to his twin brother and fellow astronaut, Scott, who is aboard the International Space Station." Carusone told the Timesthat Giffords said "Hi, I'm good."
— "With a group of friends and family members acting as a backup chorus, Ms. Giffords has been mouthing the lyrics to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby.
—"Ms. Giffords, 40, has beaten one of her nurses at tic-tac-toe."
And the Timesadds that Giffords' mother, Gloria, had this one-word assessment of her daughter's progress: "Yippee!"
Six people were killed and another 13, including Giffords, were shot during the attack on a meet-and-greet she was holding with constituents outside a strip mall.
As NPR's Ted Robbins reported last week, the kinds of things Giffords is now doing — including speaking and interacting with her aides and family — are important signs of progress for patients recovering from severe brain injuries.
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