Friend says Giffords 'continues to defy odds'

A close friend of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords says the Arizona Democrat "continues to defy odds" in her recovery.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., sent word via her Twitter account that Giffords "is so appreciative of all your support."

Gillibrand, who was elected to the House with Giffords in 2006, tweeted that she came back today from Houston, where the congresswoman is undergoing therapy.

Giffords, 40, was shot in the head Jan. 8 in a rampage that left six people dead. Last week, doctors upgraded her condition from serious to good.

Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., were at the Tucson hospital Jan. 13 when Giffords opened her eyes for the first time. They described the scene, saying it was as though they were watching a miracle.

If not for their day jobs, the three women would be like any others in their 40s who juggle careers and kids. Wasserman Schultz helped recruit Gillibrand and Giffords to run for Congress, and the three of them became close friends along with Democrat Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, who lost re-election in November.

The girlfriends would get together when they could for lunch or dinner, played together on a congressional softball team and sometimes double-dated when their husbands were in Washington.

Gillibrand and her husband, Jonathan, had gone out for pizza with Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, a few days before the shooting rampage.

"We were entwined in many ways," Gillibrand told reporters this month.

By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY


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