Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords went skydiving on Wednesday, the three-year anniversary of the shooting that almost killed her.
Giffords had skydived before, but
hadn’t been able to do so since the shooting in 2011, Reuters said.
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She tweeted her excitement Wednesday morning over being able to take to the skies again:
The "Today" show’s Savannah Guthrie went along for the jump and tweeted:
The episode about Giffords’ skydive and the road to recovery will air Thursday.
Giffords was shot in the head at a congressional event in Arizona in 2011; six people were killed and 13 were injured.
In an opinion piece
for The New York Times, Giffords wrote about the difficulties of rehab.
“It’s gritty, painful, frustrating work, every day. Rehab is endlessly repetitive,” she wrote. “And it’s never easy, because once you’ve mastered some movement or action or word, no matter how small, you move on to the next. You never rest.”
With everyday life so hard, she questioned her ability to make a difference in the world. But the Sandy Hook shooting, she said, focused her will on a mission “to change laws and reduce gun violence in a way that was consistent with our moderate beliefs and our identities as proud gun owners,” she wrote, explaining that she and her husband created the nonprofit Americans for Responsible Solutions.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy, that special interests were arrayed against us, that congressional dysfunction was an enemy,” Giffords wrote for the Times, but added that rehab taught her how to fight. “We’re not daunted.”
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