The caravan carrying Gabrielle Giffords swept past cheering crowds as she left a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, where she dazzled doctors with her recovery from being shot in the head two weeks ago, and was moved to Houston for rehabilitation.
A doctor with her said she heard them, smiled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“It was very emotional and very special,” said Dr Randall Friese, who travelled with Giffords.
By yesterday, after a 1500km trip, Giffords was in an intensive care unit at Texas Medical Centre, where a new team of doctors planned to start her therapy immediately.
After several days of evaluation she will be sent to the centre’s rehabilitation hospital, TIRR Memorial Hermann.
Giffords had great rehabilitation potential, said Dr Gerardo Francisco, its chief medical officer.
“She will keep us busy, and we will keep her busy as well,” he said.
The first thing is to determine the extent of Giffords’ injuries and the impact on her abilities to move and communicate. She hasn’t spoken yet, and it’s unknown whether she will suffer permanent disabilities.
A gunman shot Giffords and 18 other people on January 8 as she met constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson. Six people died. The suspect in the attack, Jared Loughner, 22, is being held in federal custody. His motive is not known.
At the University Medical Centre in Tucson Giffords made progress nearly every day, with surgeons calling her improvement remarkable.
Doctors say Giffords will stay in the intensive care unit for now because she has a drain to remove fluid buildup in her brain. Because part of her skull was removed during surgery, a specially made helmet is protecting her brain.
Specialists including physical, occupational and speech therapists and psychologists will check her progress.
They’ll determine the strength of her legs and her ability to stand and walk; the strength of her arms, and whether she can brush her teeth or comb her hair; whether she can safely swallow on her own; how well she thinks and communicates.
While she is moving both arms and legs, it’s uncertain how much strength she has on her right side; the bullet passed through the left side of her brain, which controls the right side of the body.
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