 TUCSON - For U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her family, today's trip is expected to be a special and uniquely triumphant journey. "I do want to caution everyone that she has a long road ahead of her," Lemole said. 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. 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. "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. "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."
– 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.