Breaking Ranks

Rep. Giffords Asks for Toast

Deb Weinstein 125 Views Feb 9, 2011
Almost a month after  being shot in the head in the January 8 attack in Tucson, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is finally talking. Politico reports that Giffords placed her breakfast order Monday, when she asked for toast instead of what she'd been given. Although Politico says this was the first public account of Giffords's verbal recovery, CNN notes that the Congresswoman's office says the Arizona representative had spoken before then, but that Monday represents a watershed moment of sorts, in that the Giffords has been talking more frequently since then and is eating two to three meals a day.

Her husband, Mark Kelly, noted his wife's improvement on Facebook, saying Giffords is enjoying the change "even though it's hospital food."

CNN's Sanjay Gupta said the improvement shows that despite having a bullet pierce the part of her brain that handles speech, that she is able to bridge both parts of a conversation: understanding what people are saying and being able to respond. "It means a lot in terms of one's overall brain recovery," Gupta said.

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