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   She survived a gunshot wound to the head, can stand with a little help and even gave her husband a neck massage from her hospital bed. But now, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is facing what may prove to be her biggest challenge yet: rehab."It will be grueling. It's hard work, and it's definitely a lot harder than the first stage, at least for her," Dr. Christina Kwasnica, director of the Neuro Rehabilitation Program at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, told AOL News by phone.As the 40-year-old congresswoman heads to Houston today to begin a monthslong recovery at a rehabilitation center, doctors say her progress has been impressive. But they warn that people who've suffered severe brain trauma like Giffords often have to relearn even the simplest tasks, from tying their shoes to forming complete sentences."One of the hardest parts is realizing how long the road is," Kwasnica said. "People who are successful like the congresswoman often think that if they just work hard they'll recover quickly, but it doesn't work that way. It just depends on how quickly the brain is healing."Giffords' new doctors at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston avoided predicting when she might be fully recovered. Mark Kelly, Giffords' astronaut husband, has said his wife may be walking on her own within two months, but her new doctor, Dr. John Holcomb, said it was too soon to tell."Captain Kelly is an astronaut and a space shuttle commander. You never want to say no to what he says. He's got great hope, they've got great support for family," Holcomb told ABC's "Good Morning America." "And you know the individual outcomes of individual patients are always a little unclear. But she has done remarkably well with great care in Tucson and we expect that to continue."In Houston, Giffords will first get a medical checkup to make sure she tolerated the travel well from Tucson and is strong enough to begin rehabilitation. Then, the hard work will begin for the congresswoman. Doctors have said her recovery will include at least two to three hours a day of intensive rehab for speech, and for occupational therapy with exercise equipment to help her fine-tune her motor skills and language. Giffords' doctors won't say how long she'll remain at the Houston center, but neurological experts have said the process could take three months.Because the bullet went through the left side of her brain, doctors say Giffords' vision and language could be especially affected. "Some with brain injury like this lose the ability to speak, lose the ability to understand. Their personality changes, they have problems with memory, it changes how they relate to people," Gerard Francisco, the chief doctor at the Houston center, told reporters, according to The Washington Post While Giffords' progress has been described as miraculous, doctors say brain injuries are incredibly complex, and they caution that there's a possibility she may never recover completely. They say that even in rehab, medical risks remain. Too much stimulation too quickly, for example, can cause seizures in survivors of traumatic brain injury."The nerve cells in the brain have been damaged and stressed, so if they're pressed too soon, it can trigger a seizure. Just getting up too quickly or doing a crossword puzzle when the brain isn't ready can cause one," said Dr. Mark Herceg, head of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, N.Y.Herceg said Giffords is also at an increased risk for dramatic weight loss and even depression. "Her brain chemistry has been altered," he told AOL News. "Sometimes the brain's ability to be hungry or recognize that the body needs food is a concern."And surgeons will also have to replace the portion of the skull they removed to allow for brain swelling just after the shooting, a procedure neurosurgeons say is simple but will put still more strain on the congresswoman's healing body.But Dr. Eugene Flamm, the head of Neurological Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, said Giffords' progress so far is encouraging. "If she's up and walking, even a little at this point, she's 90 percent recovered already," he told AOL News by phone.Flamm said Giffords' impressive recovery suggests the bullet may have missed the most sensitive and crucial parts of her brain. He said he'd seen several cases where a bullet entered the brain and simply traveled along its natural contours -- not unlike a pinball in a pinball machine -- before exiting on the other side without causing much damage. "Not all of the brain is essential," he said.And Herceg said Giffords' age, the support she's received from her family and her intelligence will help her immensely. "She's young, she's got her family with her, and we'd guesstimate that she's really smart as well -- all factors that make her more likely to recover." ||||| TUCSON - For U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her family, today's trip is expected to be a special and uniquely triumphant journey. 
   
   Less than two weeks after being shot in the head at point-blank range, she is scheduled to depart the hospital for the airport and a trip to a rehabilitation center in Houston. 
   
   A day after being taken outside the hospital to gaze at the Catalina Mountains, Giffords will be transported by ambulance through the city she loves, from University Medical Center to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. 
   
   A group of VFW motorcycle riders has volunteered to escort the ambulance to the base. The congresswoman rode with this group in May 2009, when they escorted the remains of Civil War-era veterans from Tucson to Sierra Vista. 
   
   Her husband, mother, staff members and medical personnel will accompany her in an air ambulance to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. Air ambulance flights differ from traditional plane flights because air ambulances fly at a lower altitude and the cabin pressure is altered so it does not impact a patient with a head wound. 
   
   From there, she will be taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann hospital's trauma center, where she will be evaluated before being transferred to TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital. 
   
   Astronaut Mark Kelly, who took in the mountain views with his wife, voiced optimism about Giffords' long-term recovery during a news conference at University Medical Center on Thursday. 
   
   In two months' time, he said, "She'll be walking through the front door of this building. She's a fighter like nobody else that I know." 
   
   Kelly also thanked doctors, nurses and others for the "perfect" care she had received at the medical center, which helped Giffords reach the next phase in her recovery. 
   
   TIRR Memorial Hermann specializes in helping patients rehabilitate after penetrating brain injuries. 
   
   "One of the best rehab hospitals in the nation is in the city of Houston," Kelly said. "It's got an outstanding, world-class reputation." 
   
   In addition, Kelly said, he and his teenage daughters live in Houston, where he works for NASA. With Giffords undergoing rehabilitation there, he said, he can be with her every day. 
   
   At TIRR Memorial Hermann, Dr. John Holcomb will be in charge of her care. 
   
   One of her Tucson neurosurgeons, Dr. Michael Lemole, said Thursday that Giffords continues to show improvement both neurologically and physically, including standing up while being supported. 
   
   But rehabilitation will be an arduous process, which could include months of intense physical, speech and occupational therapy. 
   
   "I do want to caution everyone that she has a long road ahead of her," Lemole said. 
   
   Asked if Giffords has spoken, Kelly said that "she has made some attempts" and noted that she still has a tracheal tube to protect her airway. 
   
   She is scrolling through her iPad and touching her husband frequently. Yet she remains vulnerable, with sections of her skull still missing. They were removed in surgery immediately after the shooting to allow the brain to swell. 
   
   She will have to wear a helmet while she undergoes therapy at the rehabilitation center in Houston, doctors said. When her skull will be reattached or reconstructed, and who will do it, has yet to be determined. 
   
   The route through Tucson to the base will be: Cherry Avenue to Helen Street, east on Helen Street to Campbell Avenue, south on Campbell Avenue and Kino Boulevard to Aviation Parkway, southeast on Aviation Parkway to Golf Links Road, and east on Golf Links Road to the base's Swan Road gate.
target: – Following her first trip outside yesterday, Gabrielle Giffords today departed on an even bigger one: She left her Tucson hospital for a rehabilitation center in Houston. Crowds saw her off holding “Get well” signs and flags as an ambulance carried her to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, MSNBC reports. Giffords was escorted by motorcycle riders from a Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and was then taken via medical flight to a Houston airport. From there, a helicopter will carry her to the rehab hospital. Giffords’ husband, mother, and staff members were expected to ride alongside her in the air ambulance, the Arizona Republic reports. US Capitol police put extra security in place at the Houston facility, where she will remain until she no longer requires 24-hour care. First order of business: Check her vitals and give her a number of tests to determine what she can and cannot do, from walking and swallowing to brushing her teeth and combing her hair. Click to see what else might be in store for Giffords.