Doctors: Giffords sitting up, more alert

TUCSON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Doctors in Tucson Thursday began performing "aggressive physical therapy" on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, calling her recovery miraculous.

Giffords, who was shot in the head Saturday during a meet-and-greet with constituents in the parking lot of a Tucson grocery store, "is starting to become aware of her surroundings," Dr. Michael Lemole said.

The Arizona Daily Star reported doctors have Giffords sitting up with her legs dangling over the side of her hospital bed. She is keeping her unbandaged eye open for as long as 15 minutes at a time and can move both her arms and her legs, something Lemole called miraculous given the extent of her injuries.

"This is a major leap forward. This is a major milestone," said Lemole, adding that doctors had begun "aggressive physical therapy" on the congresswoman.

"Yes, miracles happen every day," Lemole said.

Giffords first opened her eyes late Wednesday during a visit from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"Debbie and I started joking about all the things we were going to do after she got better," Gillibrand told reporters late Wednesday. "And we were holding her hand and she was responding to our hand-holding. She was rubbing our hands and gripping our hands so we could -- she could really -- we knew she could hear and understand what we were saying and she moved her leg, and so we knew she was responding. And the more we joked about what we were going to do, she started to open her eyes literally. …

"And one of her eyes is covered with a bandage because it was damaged in the gunfire. So her eye is flickering. And Mark (astronaut Mark Kelly, Giffords' husband) sees this and gets extremely excited. And we didn't -- I didn't know what that meant. And so he said, Gabby, open your eyes, open your eyes. …

"And then she finally opens her eyes and you could she was like desperately trying to focus and it took enormous strength from her. And Mark could just -- can't believe it. I mean, he's so happy. And we're crying because we're witnessing something that we never imagined would happen in front of us."