Two photos released Sunday show a smiling Rep. Gabrielle Giffords 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 photos were released on Giffords’s Facebook page and 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 one dozen others during a meet-and-greet with constituents in Tucson, said spokesman CJ 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.
Set to be released as soon as this month from her rehabilitation center, the congresswoman hoped to dampen paparazzi interest in her condition and appearance, Karamargin said.
In April, rumors surfaced that a $200,000 bounty was out for photos of Giffords in recovery.
“This was Mark and Gabby’s decision,” Karamargin said. “There is intense interest in the Congresswoman’s appearance and on the threshold of her going to outpatient treatment, we thought this was a good way to satisfy public curiosity.”
Her recovery has been lauded by doctors and her staff. Giffords is expected to be released as early as this month from the Houston medical facility where she has undergone treatment, including a cranioplasty surgery in May.
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.
“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.
Read more at The Washington Post.