Rep. Giffords Making Significant Progress In Recovering From Attempted Assassination

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is making tremendous progress in recovering from the gunshot wound sustained when Jared Loughner attempted to assassinate the Congresswoman at an event in a Tucson supermarket.

Doctors have been reducing the sedatives being given and while swelling remains a concern, they are seeing hopeful signs for a positive outcome.

Yesterday, President Obama, in the midst of his speech about the civil discourse and the need for unity, announced that Rep. Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time since surgery.

Today, doctors announced that she's sitting up and moving all her limbs.

The Arizona congresswoman has been sitting up, dangling her legs on the edge of the hospital bed and moving her limbs in response to commands. That's after she spontaneously opened her eyes during visits with her colleagues Wednesday night. She is able to lift both of her legs on command and is yawning and starting to rub her eyes, doctors said.

"She's becoming more aware of her surroundings," trauma chief Dr. Peter Rhee said during a news conference at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday.

The next milestone will be removing her breathing tube, and perhaps have her sit in a chair on Friday, said Rhee, who has treated soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doctors want to make sure Giffords doesn't regress and are watching for pneumonia and blood clots.

One of the keys to her survival and seemingly miraculous recovery to date is the prompt medical attention, including by her intern, Daniel Hernandez, whose actions helped save her life.