In a press conference Thursday, doctors for Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said that she is making remarkable progress in recovering from injuries sustained Saturday.
Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of trauma at University Medical Center in Tucson, said Giffords “is sitting up, and you’ll say, ‘Gabrielle lift your legs up,’ and she’ll lift both her legs up.”
Rhee said “she is starting to rub her eyes and she’ll spontaneously wake up” and “she is doing fairly specific things with her left hand.”
Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital, said “this is a major milestone for her, and we’re hoping she crosses through many more.”
Giffords cannot speak because of a breathing tube. The doctors announced that the next major milestone in her recovery will involve removing the tube.