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21 January 2011
Last updated at 10:19 ET
The US congresswoman shot in the head in an attack at a constituency meeting in which six people died is to be moved to a rehabilitation centre on Friday.
Gabrielle Giffords will be taken from a hospital in the Arizona city of Tucson to Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Her husband, a Nasa astronaut, says he hopes she will make a full recovery.
Jared Loughner, 22, has been jailed pending trial for the attack in Tucson, in which six were killed and 13 hurt.
Doctors in Arizona, where the congresswoman has undergone a series of operations, say her condition has stabilised to the point where Ms Giffords can move into the rehabilitation phase of recovery.
But despite her steady progress, doctors say Ms Giffords still has a long road to recovery and are not sure what, if any, disability she will have.
'Biggest smile' On Thursday, University Medical Center workers in Tucson brought Ms Giffords to an outside deck at the hospital where she was given the opportunity to breath fresh air and feel the sun, trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said.
"I saw the biggest smile she could gather," Mr Rhee said, adding that those at the hospital are "very happy to have her enjoying the sunshine of Arizona."
A University Medical Center spokeswoman said Ms Giffords had also been able to scroll through an iPad, and had picked out colours and moved her lips.
Hospital staff are also unsure of how well the congresswoman can see.
Earlier this week, Ms Giffords had reportedly stood, aided by medical staff.
Her husband, Mark Kelly, said on Thursday he believed she was attempting to speak and could recognize those around her, calling his wife "a fighter like nobody else that I know".
"I can just look in her eyes and tell," Mr Kelly said, adding that he is hoping she will make a full recovery.
Ms Giffords' mother has said the Democratic congresswoman has made remarkable progress since the early January attack at a constituency event outside a store in Tucson.
Mr Loughner was indicted earlier this week on three counts of attempting to kill federal officials, relating to Ms Giffords and two of her aides wounded in the assault.
The indictment does not include a charge in the death of John Roll, a federal judge. The Arizona US attorney described the initial indictment as the beginning of federal legal action against Mr Loughner.
State charges are also likely to follow.
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Gabrielle Giffords will be taken from a hospital in the Arizona city of Tucson to Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Her husband, a Nasa astronaut, says he hopes she will make a full recovery.
Jared Loughner, 22, has been jailed pending trial for the attack in Tucson, in which six were killed and 13 hurt.
Doctors in Arizona, where the congresswoman has undergone a series of operations, say her condition has stabilised to the point where Ms Giffords can move into the rehabilitation phase of recovery.
But despite her steady progress, doctors say Ms Giffords still has a long road to recovery and are not sure what, if any, disability she will have.
'Biggest smile' On Thursday, University Medical Center workers in Tucson brought Ms Giffords to an outside deck at the hospital where she was given the opportunity to breath fresh air and feel the sun, trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said.
"I saw the biggest smile she could gather," Mr Rhee said, adding that those at the hospital are "very happy to have her enjoying the sunshine of Arizona."
A University Medical Center spokeswoman said Ms Giffords had also been able to scroll through an iPad, and had picked out colours and moved her lips.
Hospital staff are also unsure of how well the congresswoman can see.
Earlier this week, Ms Giffords had reportedly stood, aided by medical staff.
Her husband, Mark Kelly, said on Thursday he believed she was attempting to speak and could recognize those around her, calling his wife "a fighter like nobody else that I know".
"I can just look in her eyes and tell," Mr Kelly said, adding that he is hoping she will make a full recovery.
Ms Giffords' mother has said the Democratic congresswoman has made remarkable progress since the early January attack at a constituency event outside a store in Tucson.
Mr Loughner was indicted earlier this week on three counts of attempting to kill federal officials, relating to Ms Giffords and two of her aides wounded in the assault.
The indictment does not include a charge in the death of John Roll, a federal judge. The Arizona US attorney described the initial indictment as the beginning of federal legal action against Mr Loughner.
State charges are also likely to follow.
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