Nancy Pelosi was in the room when she opened her eyes.

[Joanne98]

TUCSON, Ariz. — Simple sentiments, spoken by family and some of her closest friends in Congress, inspired the “miracle” of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ open eyes Wednesday evening.

Surrounded in her hospital room by her husband, her parents, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Arizona Democrat lifted her lids for the first time since a would-be assassin fired a bullet into through her brain Saturday during a rampage that killed six people in her native Tucson.


“We had been telling her that she was inspiring the country with her courage and that we couldn’t wait to take her out to pizza and a weekend away,” Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, said. “Then after she heard our voices and the encouragement of Mark and her parents, she struggled briefly and opened her eyes for the very first time. It was a miracle to witness.”

The nation has been riveted by each turn in Giffords’ recovery, from early reports that she could still squeeze a hand after the attack to her lifting two fingers to giving a thumbs-up.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47533.html#ixzz1AvLbPCFC