Giffords may attend husband’s shuttle launch

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(JTA) — There is "a good possibility" that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, will attend the space shuttle launch in April captained by her husband.

"We think there’s a good possibility that she will be there," one of Giffords’ neurologists, Dr. Dong Kim, told The Washington Post over the weekend, echoing similar media statements by other Giffords’ physicians and aides.

Her husband, Mark Kelly, will command the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavor, which is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 19.

Giffords, the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Arizona, is in a recovery facility in Houston. The third-term Democrat was shot in the head on Jan. 8 as she met with constituents in Tucson, Ariz.; six people were killed.

Therapists are helping Giffords relearn basic skills like walking and talking. Her memory does not appear to have been affected, though she does not have any memory of the shooting, according to reports.

A political fundraiser is scheduled for Giffords in Washington on Tuesday. It is not clear if she will remain in politics.
 

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