Giffords ‘more alert,’ doctor says

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is making progress in her initial days
at a Houston rehab facility, and her doctor says she is “even more
alert today” after therapy sessions.

Dr. Gerard Francisco, who is
overseeing the congresswoman’s care at Texas Medical Center, told
reporters Saturday that Giffords “is responding very well” after being
transported from Tucson on Friday, according to Reuters. He also told
the Associated Press that Giffords is more alert, although she still has
a breathing tube and did not speak.

Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman in Tucson two weeks ago.
Doctors have marveled at her initial recovery, though they have
cautioned that she faces months of intensive therapy and that it is too
early to say for sure if she will make a full recovery. She has
identified colors on an iPad, recognized her husband, Mark Kelly, and
has taken steps with assistance, her doctors have said.

She remains in the intensive care unit at Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston.