Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) stood on her own two feet with the assistance of others Wednesday, KVOA-TV reported.
Dr. Peter Rhee at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., confirmed that Giffords was able to stand with assistance, a large step forward as she recovers from a brain injury sustained when she was shot in the head at close range during a political event on Jan. 8.
Rhee added that Giffords was also able to sit in a chair in her hospital room.
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Earlier Wednesday, Giffords’ husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, confirmed she will be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Houston, Tex.
“The team of doctors and nurses at UMC (Tucson’s University Medical Center) has stabilized her to the point of being ready to move to the rehabilitation phase,” Kelly said in a statement released by Giffords’ congressional office.
He added that Giffords’ family had chosen to move her to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston because it has “a national reputation for treating serious penetrating brain injuries and is also in a community where I have family and a strong support network.”
The statement said Giffords was expected to move Friday, but emphasized that “the exact day of the move will depend on the congresswoman’s health.”