Gabrielle Gifford’s Husband Mark Kelly Speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast

Also see Gabby's touching VIDEO: Her interview with The Daily before shooting 

Amazing progress through therapy
By Elizabeth Saab Thursday, February 3, 2011

"Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is doing "rigorous" speech therapy every day and her recovery is progressing — and her days also have included use of her favorite gadget: the iPad.

"A few weeks before the congresswoman was shot in a Tucson, Ariz., rampage, she told The Daily that she bonded with her husband, Mark Kelly, over their new iPad. Giffords and her husband enjoyed sitting in bed with their tablet computer, she told The Daily in an in-camera interview conducted in the rotunda of the Capitol.

"During her recovery, Giffords has been using her iPad to look at pictures — which her neurologist, Dr. Michael Lemole, told reporters two weeks ago was a “fantastic” advance as it showed “higher cognitive function.”

"The Arizona lawmaker, who was shot in the head on Jan. 8, was transferred last week from intensive care to the TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston, where neurosurgeon Dr. Dong Kim said she is recovering at “lightning speed.”

"Giffords has been able to sit up and stand with the assistance of hospital staff. She even gave her husband a neck rub from her hospital bed.

"Yesterday, Kelly tweeted: “Today was a huge day for GG. Lots of progress!”

"In an earlier statement, he thanked his wife’s supporters for their “continued prayers and good wishes.”

“The doctors, nurses and support staff at TIRR are among the best in the world. They have emphasized to us that this next phase is more of a marathon than a sprint.”

Dr. Kim said Giffords’ “speech function, along with everything else, is improving.”

Update-Astronaut Mark Kelly Decides to Fly Space Shuttle, Explains Decision