VIDEO: Astronaut Mark E. Kelly, married to Gabrielle Giffords since 2007, offers good news at a news conference.
Gabrielle Giffords on Thursday felt the sunshine on her face for the first time since the January 8, 2011 shootings in Tucson, AZ, as doctors prepared her to leave behind the Arizona hospital where she has progressed well with a rapid recovery from a brain injury.
Next step is hard work at TIRR Memorial Hermann, a world-renowned Houston rehabilitation center.
TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) Memorial Hermann has been designated as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System with funding by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The NIDRR TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) Model Systems program began in 1987 and is the largest research program on recovery from TBI in the world. The TBI Model Systems study database is the largest database on traumatic brain injury.
TBI can cause a host of physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects, and outcome can range from complete recovery to permanent disability or death. The 20th century saw critical developments in diagnosis and treatment which decreased death rates and improved outcome. These include imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Depending on the injury, treatment required may be minimal or may include interventions such as medications and emergency surgery. Physical therapy, speech therapy, recreation therapy, and occupational therapy may be employed for rehabilitation.
Giffords is currently serving her third term in the United States House of Representatives, having been re-elected in the 2010 midterm elections.