Giffords has no memory of shooting, doctors say

HOUSTON - Gabrielle Giffords has no memory of being shot at a community event two months ago, though her husband told her of the shooting.

But the Arizona congresswoman's recovery from the gunshot wound to her head is progressing in "leaps and bounds," her doctors said at a news conference Friday in Houston. They said she is walking with assistance and talking in complete sentences, such as "I'm tired and want to go to bed."

Doctors also said they have removed Giffords' breathing tube, a big step forward in her recovery. Dr. Imoigele Aisiku described the tube removal as a "fist-pump" moment.

They said her memory is improving, though she does not recall the shooting that wounded her and 12 others and killed six people.

Dr. Dong Kim said "it's a good possibility that she will be able to attend her husband's space shuttle launch next month. He said doctors expect to reattach her skull at some point in May, but that she can travel before that happens. She now wears a helmet that covers her head.