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A 'Get Well' balloon flies above flowers laying on the ground at the intersection of West Ina and North Oracle roads in remembrance of the victims of the shooting at the Safeway store a day after a gunman opened fire on a group of people on Jan. 9, 2011. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is showing some small signs of recovery after she was shot in the head and was placed in a medically induced coma, according to reports on Sunday.
Giffords was shot in the head, allegedly by 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, but the bullets did not hit critical parts of the brain. It is unclear whether she will survive or how long she might stay in the hospital.
"This was a devastating wound that traveled the length of the brain on the left side," Dr. Peter Rhee, trauma director at University Medical Center in Tucson, told reporters, according to ABC.
The left side of the brain is responsible for communication, but according to the Washington Post, Giffords was able to respond to simple commands such as squeezing her hand or showing two fingers when asked. Doctors fear that while she may survive, she might not be able to perform complex tasks related to being a Congress member, according to the report.
"This is about as good as it gets," Rhee told the Post. "When you get shot and the bullet goes through your brain, the chances of your living are very small."
Loughner apparently shot the Congresswoman at close range.
Giffords has been placed into a medically induced coma and doctors say that the procedure will help her brain rest, according to ABC. Surgery was performed on her to reduce swelling in the brain.
The fact that she has been able to respond means she has "a very high level of functioning in the brain," said Dr. Michael Lemole of Tucson's University Medical Center, according to the Associated Press.
