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A Year After The Shooting, Giffords Wraps Up Unfinished Business

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hugs Daniel Hernandez, the former intern who helped save her life.
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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hugs Daniel Hernandez, the former intern who helped save her life.

Life came full circle for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today. A little more than a year after she was shot in the head at a community meet-and-greet she organized, she met with others who survived the rampage.

At her office in Tucson, the Arizona congresswoman met with Daniel Hernandez, her former intern who is credited with helping to save her life by containing her bleeding.

Giffords also met with Suzi Hileman, who was the woman who brought Christina Taylor-Green, her 9-year-old neighbor who had a keen interest in politics, to the event. Green, who was born on Sept. 11, was youngest of the six people killed.

The meeting comes a day after Giffords announced she was stepping down to focus on her recovery.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," she said in a two-minute video. "I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week."

The AP adds a bit more on the meeting:

"Among those who met Monday with Giffords was Pat Maisch, who was hailed as a hero for wrestling a gun magazine from the shooter.

"'I thanked her for her service, wished her well, and she just looked beautiful,' Maisch said.

"Maisch, who was not injured herself, said it was touching that Giffords finished the meeting that had been interrupted by the attack.

"'I've always said I would love for her to continue to be my congresswoman, but I want her to do what's best for her,' Maisch said. 'She's got to take care of herself.'"

Giffords' office posted a few pictures of the event on her Facebook page.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.