HOUSTON – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was discharged from a Houston hospital Wednesday, marking a major milestone on her path to recovery after being shot in the head last January.
Giffords will now begin outpatient treatment at the same facility while living in the home of her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, in League City, Texas, according to a hospital statement released Wednesday.
Doctors treating Giffords, 41, said her cognitive abilities and physical strength had improved to the point where she no longer needed to be hospitalized.
The announcement followed by days the release of pictures of Giffords, with cropped hair and looking relaxed and smiling, on her Facebook page.
“Congresswoman Giffords has shown clear, continuous improvement from the moment she arrived at TIRR five months ago,” Dr. Gerard Francisco, the chief medical officer at TIRR Memorial Hermann, said Wednesday.
“We are very excited that she has reached the next phase of her rehabilitation and can begin outpatient treatment. We have no doubt that she will continue to make significant strides in her recovery.”
“Gabby gives her all to everything she does and that’s exactly what she’s been doing at TIRR since Jan. 26,” said Kelly. “The remarkable progress she has made since then is a testament to both her single-minded determination to get better and the team of medical professionals overseeing her care.”
Giffords was shot in the head Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket.
Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been charged with 49 federal crimes in connection with the attack, which killed six and wounded 13 others, including Giffords.
As an outpatient, Giffords’ intensive therapy program will not change. Francisco will continue to oversee her care.
At Kelly’s home, Giffords will be assisted by a 24-hour home health provider.
“Anyone who knows Gabby knows that she loves being outside,” Kelly said. “Living and working in a rehab facility for five months straight has been especially challenging for her. She will still go to TIRR each day but from now on, when she finishes rehab, she will be with her family.”