Gabby Giffords to skydive on 3rd anniversary of shooting

[hue]

Source: USA TODAY

Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says she will skydive Wednesday to mark the the third anniversary of the mass shooting at her campaign event that took the lives of six people.

Giffords, one of 13 people wounded in the massacre, was shot in the head and has undergone intensive physical therapy. On Wednesday, she retweeted a tweet from NBC's Savannah Guthrie: "Today: Gabby Giffords will mark 3rd anniversary of #Tucson shootings by skydiving here in AZ."

The anniversary also will be observed in Tucson with bell-ringing, flag-raising ceremonies and church events. This week, officials in Tucson also unveiled plans for a downtown memorial to honor the victims.

Giffords, 43, wrote an op-ed in Wednesday's New York Times saying she continues to improve.

"Many may look at me and see mostly what I have lost," Giffords wrote. "I struggle to speak, my eyesight's not great, my right arm and leg are paralyzed, and I left a job I loved representing southern Arizona in Congress."

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/08/giffords-shooting-anniversary/4370097/

[MissMillie]

1. It's ironic

that's she's safer skydiving than walking out of her own office.

[Paladin]

2. +1000. (nt)

[leftyohiolib]

3. people who jump from perfectly good airplanes are nuts

[FailureToCommunicate]

4. Wonder if that was on her 'bucket list' or something she'd already been doing that she

wanted to get back to?

[dipsydoodle]

5. Wanted to get back to :

PUBLISHED: 15:03, 8 January 2014 | UPDATED: 15:43, 8 January 2014

Savannah Guthrie of ABC's Today show announced the plans on Wednesday morning and the event will be aired on Thursday.

'Today, Gabby Giffords is going to do something that is incredibly courageous and inspiring and a little bit surprising - she's going to sky-dive here in Arizona to commemorate the three-year anniversary and all of the progress that she's made,' the show's co-anchor said.

Guthrie continued: 'She is an incredibly brave person. She's someone who used to love to sky-dive before this shooting took place. She hasn't done it since.' Giffords skydived once before, in 2009.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2535876/No-fear-Gabby-Giffords-skydives-mark-anniversary-shooting-nearly-killed-Tucson-marks-horrific-attack-left-six-dead.html#ixzz2ppcGAory

[shenmue]

6. I love her

[LadyHawkAZ]

7. Gabby Giffords is an awesome lady.

[madrchsod]

8. "nice to meet you"

http://wonkette.com/538560/gabby-giffords-will-jump-out-of-a-plane-tomorrow-while-you-probably-just-lie-around-doing-nothing