All reports lately from the doctors of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head during the tragic attack in Tuscon back in January, say that she is recovering at a surprisingly fast pace and doing very well. She is regaining the power to speak and converse, is walking a little, and can sing easy tunes like "Happy Birthday". This "brain recovery" process is a remarkable one that I cannot even pretend to understand-- the doctors are teaching her brain how to think again. She has to figure out again how to form words and keep strands of thought. Amazing. In goods news, the doctor said her memory is unaffected-- her long-term memories are still there, and now she can remember who comes to visit her and the conversations that they have; she cannot, however, remember the shooting itself or the events following it, which her doctors say in normal.
The man responsible for the shooting
has pled not guilty to 49 federal charges, which include the murder of two federal officials and the attempted assassination of a member of Congress. His lawyers are seeking an insanity plea, and the prosecutors have said that the death penalty is on the table.
Congresswoman Giffords is making plans to attend her husband's blast-off into space on the final mission of the Space Shuttle
Endeavour, which will be going to the International Space Station before returning to join
Discovery in retirement. Her friends in Congress are also
helping her staff continue its operations, which have included helping a constituent escape from the Middle East protests and helping a woman save a home her family has owned for 70 years from foreclosure. I hope that the congresswoman does not have any permanent damage to her brain, and wish here well as she continues this remarkable process of healing and recovery.
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