Two photos released Sunday show a smiling U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., with much shorter and darker hair and few signs of the injuries she suffered when a bullet pierced her skull five months ago.
The images, the clearest yet of the lawmaker who was targeted in a deadly Arizona shooting rampage, were taken on May 17 by a professional photographer at her Houston rehabilitation facility.
The photographs were released on Giffords's Facebook page.
They were not altered or edited, according to her staff.
They "show Gabby has traveled a remarkable distance since Jan. 8," the day a gunman killed six, shot Giffords in the head and wounded more than 12 others during a meet-and-greet with constituents in Tucson, Ariz., said spokesman C.J. Karamargin.
Since the attack Giffords' aides and family have closely guarded the Congresswoman's appearance and news of her recovery, which has mainly been released by doctors who have performed surgeries to heal brain swelling and other damage caused by her gunshot wound.
Expected to be released as soon as this month from the Houston medical facility where she has undergone treatment, including a cranioplasty surgery in May, the congresswoman hoped to dampen paparazzi interest in her condition and appearance, Karamargin said.
Her recovery has been lauded by doctors and her staff.
Giffords was "smiling and laughing," according to photographer P.K. Weiss, a former photojournalist asked by the lawmaker to take the photos, adding that "she seemed to enjoy the experience."
But questions still loom over her cognitive abilities, speech and political future.
The shooting occurred days after Giffords was sworn into her third term in Congress. She has worked in therapy to recover her strength, ability to speak and walk.
"We know this is going to be more of a marathon than a sprint but her release into outpatient care will be another sign of progress," Karamargin said.
He added that the congresswoman was injured while on the job and has no plans to leave her position before her term expires in January 2013.
Giffords friend Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said Sunday on "Meet the Press" that the two lawmakers spoke last week and had a "wonderful conversation," with Giffords speaking in full sentences.
Last week, her staff sang "Happy Birthday" to the congresswoman on a conference call. She responded, "That's great. Thank you," according to Karamargin.
The photos were taken one day after she traveled to Florida to see her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, launch into space on the shuttle Endeavour.
In video captured by a news helicopter, Giffords was seen standing from a wheelchair and walking slowly up stairs into an airplane. But the images were too grainy to get a clear sense of her appearance.
The photos released Sunday show some signs of the bullet that pierced through the left side of her brain. One eye appears smaller than the other, her eyebrows are slightly offset and there is a slight depression near her left eye.
Immediately after she was shot, a portion of Giffords' skull was removed to ease pressure on her brain from swelling.
Just last month a plastic replacement for that portion of her skull was put back into place.
Source: Yellowbrix
