Giffords Starting to Walk, Speak

ABC News reports:

Two and a half months after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is beginning to walk and talk, her husband Mark Kelly said today.

Kelly, an astronaut scheduled to command the next space shuttle mission in April, shared the good news with reporters at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston today, a short drive from the rehab center where Giffords is being treated for her brain injury.

Kelly shared details of Giffords' progress. He said the congresswoman receives daily briefings from her staff.

"She is improving every day, and in the realm of brain injuries, that is very significant and pretty rare," Kelly said.

The astronaut also said his wife is also beginning to learn about the horrific shooting in Tucson on Jan. 8 that nearly took her life and killed six people, including a member of her congressional staff. Besides Giffords, a dozen others were injured in the attack, which happened while Giffords was meeting with constituents outside of a Safeway grocery store.

While Giffords apparently did not remember the attack, Kelly said that she is now beginning to cope with the tragedy.

"Despite that, she remains in a very good mood," he said.