The Hill News

President Obama on Tuesday pointed to the recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) as a "genuine miracle."

"To see her now, walking and talking and laughing â€" you know, she's still got some recovery to do, but what an incredible spirit she is," Obama said in an interview with NBC's "Today Show."  "And her husband has been there every step of the way and her family has been there every step of the way and the people of Arizona have been there every step of the way, so I think she's going to just keep on getting better and better.

"It's a genuine miracle to see where she was just a few months ago and where she is now," he added.

Giffords was shot in the head in January during a shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., that killed six people. She has been undergoing rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Obama said the last time he had talked to the Giffords was during a trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla., to watc! h the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, commanded by Giffords's husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. That launch was postponed, but the president met with Giffords and Kelly at the time.

On Sunday, the first photographs of Giffords since the shooting were posted to her Facebook account. They were taken a month ago at the Houston hospital and show Giffords with close-cropped dark hair and wearing glasses.

She is now receiving outpatient therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital.

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