A little more than a month after being shot in the head at a “Congress on Your Corner” event in Tucson, Ariz., Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has acquired the ability to speak again.
When breakfast was given to Giffords at her Houston hospital room Monday, she requested toast instead of what was delivered to her. Monday marked the first publicly reported instance of Giffords speaking in the aftermath of the shooting rampage that left six dead and many injured, reports Politico.
Since moving to a Houston hospital two weeks ago, Giffords has undergone speech therapy sessions. Giffords’ speaking ability marks a major milestone in the congresswoman’s road to recovery. Before this news was released, it was reported that Giffords gave her husband a neck massage, stood up, opened her eyes, and could scroll through an Apple iPad.
“She’s doing remarkably well,” John Holcomb, a trauma surgeon, said last month. “We have noticed daily improvements in her neurological condition,” Holcomb said. “We’re very pleased with that and, in terms of recovery for brain issues, this is really at lightning speed.”