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make it easy for them to be together during this difficult period, even though there are excellent hospitals like this all over the country. houston made the most sense, chris. >> and the we just were talking to the doctor about the importance of her psychologic psychologically and as well as medically, that she feels supported. obviously that nasa community was deeply affected by this. they're very strong, and presumably, you know, along with mark kelly, having a lot of friends and colleagues there. so does gabrielle giffords. >> yes, she does. she was, represents arizona, but she was in houston a lot of the time because of her husband's residency here. she has a lot of family and friends here who can be here at the rehabilitation center of when her husband cannot. that's very primportant. >> we talk about that, the shock waves that went through that community. i've only been to the houston nasa once. i spent more time down in
>> all right, dr. michael degeorgia from case medical center in cleveland. thank you so much. >> okay, thanks, chris. we're still waiting. she was scheduled to be released from her hospital room just a couple of minutes ago. and so we'll see exactly what happens in terms of the schedule. but, again, let's just tell you what's going to happen. she's going to be in an ambulance. they have published the route there in tucson, and so we've already seen in some helicopter shots up earlier that there are a lot of people who are lining that route and just want to be able to cheer for her. really, if she's able to understand what's going on, and it wouldn't surprise me if her husband was riding in that ambulance with her, that he'll be telling them that people are out there. they've got shirts, they've got signs. as we said, she will be going to a very highly respected rehab center in houston. important, because that's where her husband, the astronaut mark kelly live, and it also gives
they have gone to the safeway, which was the scene of shooting. they went to the congresswoman's office. all of those memorials have grown. they were doubling in size at one point and even today, there are still folks coming to those memorials, they're bringing flowers, they're bringing cards, candles. for them, it's a way to feel connected to the congresswoman, and we're not sure how much longer that will continue now that she left tucson but is on her way out of tucson, people said this is something they wanted to do. even in the downtown areas, some local businesses have tributes in their windows, cards, they have their picture. pictures of the victims, their stories in the window. so although tucson is a relatively large city, it's small and connected in ways that many smaller cities aren't, chris i. can remember driving through old tucson, a beautiful section of town, and there are a couple of old movie theaters there, and they have the marquees on and tributes to gabrielle giffords and the other whose were killed and wounded in this attack, and all around town
begins to wind down the street. as mentioned we believe the congresswoman is in that green and white ambulance. from here she will make her way to a nearby air force base. once she arrives at the air force base we're told staff members will be there. send her on the way. get on a medevac jet and head to houston. seeing the first pictures of what we believe will be the congresswoman coming down a side entrance, looks like the ambulance is now beginning to make its way around the corner, chris. >> you and i were obviously both there and you have stayed throughout this, miguel. talk a little about that community, the way they've come together. the way they've rallied behind the congresswoman. >> reporter: chris you were here, and you know it was quite a scene here. folks here in tucson feel connected not only to their congresswoman but to each other. then said this was a devastating blow to the entire community. here as the ambulance makes its way down this route and gets ready to leave hospital property, you can see there are duz, and dozens of people, at least 100 that we have counted
medically she's stable, that she's breathing okay. that the tube feeding is going well and they'll be coming up with a plan, and, again, that plan is going to involve multiple people. physical therapists, speech therapist, sometimes even music therapists if the congresswoman liked music. music is very helpful in terms of helping people recover. settling in, making sure medically she's stable and conversing with the doctors that transferred her there. >> janet shamlian is outside the rehab facility, the hospital where gabby giffords will be taken. i understand that the doctor in charge of her care, i don't know how much you know about him, janet, but i guess he's a -- he's a retired army colonel, and a professor of surgery there? >> reporter: can you repeat the question, chris? >> yeah. i was reading a little bit about the retired army colonel, and the professor, a chair in surgery, who's going to be in charge of her treatment. do you know anything else about her medical team?
when those candles are lit and the people are coming up and very quietly often praying. it's also worth noting, miguel, if you're still with me, that gabrielle giffords becomes the last person who was injured in this attack to leave the hospital. >> reporter: yeah, chris. she was the last victim to leave the hospital. of course, as you know, there was nearly 20 people that were in the hospital. she's the last one it leave, and for many it's a very symbolic day here, because it reminds folks here that they do need to move beyond this tragedy. this was tiv to grieve together andalities now move forward to the next step and the of course they're all here to say good-bye to the congresswoman, chris, it's certainly been a long, nearly two weeks now. many folks grieving together and happy to see the last victim from this hospital leave towards her first step towards recovery. >> miguel, thank you. janet, thank you. dr. michael degeorgia, thank you. we are continuing to watch what is really a remarkable story, and that is, gabby giffords, the
university of ars arizona medical center and the some people lining the route to the airfield where an ambulance will take congresswoman gabrielle giffords less than two weeks after she was shot through the head, a testament to fine medical care, to her recuperative powers, also to a change over the last five or ten years or so, the big push to get patients rapidly out of the hospital once they're medically xablized and into rehab but that improves overall recovery. i want too talk more about that. the director of neurocritical care at university hospital's case medical center in cleveland, he's our guest. good to see you. thank you very much for joining us. >> thanks for having me, chris. >> some of the things we know happened over the last week or so. we know that gabby giffords has, for example, been trying to speak. that she seems to be playing with her eye pad.
here on the side the road. many of them with american flags, with signs. many of them with cameras, all saying they wanted to say good-bye. they wanted to well-wish their congresswoman off as she let's down towards her first leg of this trip to houston, chris. >> miguel almaguer, reporting, stay with us, if you will, miguel, as we watch this ambulance make its way. again, heading out to the airfield where the, where gabrielle giffords -- listening to the cheers. >> reporter: you can probably hear that, chris. the folks here are cheering. they are applauding. they are waving. they are very happy to see the congresswoman making her way back towards the rehabilitation process. certainly people cheering here. very excited, happy about this community, chris. >> so extraordinary. dr. michael degeorgia, director of neurocritical care at university hospital's case medical center in cleveland back with us. given the nature of this injury,
many of her staff members would actually be the at the airport to say good-bye, that certainly was not a surprise. so many affected by this, nobt only because of a deep connection to the congresswoman, many of them were even there the date of the shooting. some of them were injured, some of the victims shot. at this hour even many people at the community remained here at the corner as this congresswoman drove by. some cheering, some clapping, others crying. a level of connection many shared together when the congresswoman drove by. happy to see her on her first leg towards he rabb, chris. >> the level of emotion was tremendous. i've been gone five or six days or so, but as i've watched on the tv cameras, it seems that people kept coming back to the hospital. kept bringing flowers, miguel. ket bri kept bringing notes. >> reporter: yeah, chris. we're almost two weeks out since that incident and every day, every day, we have seen people come not only here to the hospital.
both very busy people obviously with very big jobs. >> reporter: and, chris, i would personally see her down at val veston at the mardi gras festivities. a presence in town. i also saw her, she had close friends in the city. seen in and about houston. you would expect there will be no shortage of visitors lining up at this buildingance and we all know how important that support is during a rehabilitation process. >> indeed it is. janet, thank you very much. you'll continue to stand by as we also have our cameras at davis-monthan air force base. the ambulance going with that escort, a group of motorcycle riders, those vfw guys who she's worked with before who volunteered, who wanted to be a part of this. so many members of the community have reached out in one way or another, whether it's to bring flowers or notes or photographs or candles. it's unbelievable the scene at night outside of the hospital in tucson.