Giffords nearing move to rehab

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' family is hoping that she will be transferred to a Houston facility where she can begin extensive mental and physical rehabilitation, a move that may come as early as today.

Giffords is recovering from a bullet wound to the brain. Her being so quickly shifted from an intensive care unit to a rehab center is based on the latest research, which shows the sooner rehab starts, the better patients recover.

"I'm extremely hopeful that Gabrielle is going to make a full recovery," her husband, Mark Kelly, said at a news conference at University Medical Center in Tucson. "She is a fighter like nobody else that I know."

Kelly predicted that she will walk back into the hospital soon and thank everyone who took care of her.

"In two months, you'll see her walking through the front door of this building," he said.

Once Giffords leaves the hospital in the coming days, she will be taken by ambulance to the airport for a flight aboard a medical plane to Houston, where Kelly lives and works as an astronaut.

Giffords' progress was evident Wednesday as she stood on her feet with assistance from medical staff. Her husband described the moment as a big step.

On Thursday, doctors said she has scrolled through an iPad, has been able to pick out different colored objects and has moved her lips. They are unsure whether she is mouthing words, nor do they know how much she is able to see.

Her husband, however, thinks she has made attempts to speak and can recognize those around her.

"I can just look in her eyes and tell," Kelly said. "She is very aware of the situation."

New hope for her recovery comes every day, Kelly said.

"Every time we interact with her, there's something quite inspiring," he said.

Doctors said they planned next to expose her to some sunlight. Despite the steady progress, Giffords has a long road to recovery. Doctors are not sure what, if any, disability she will have.