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Malala Can Stand, Communicate

Pakistani teen shot by Taliban shows more progress

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 19, 2012 5:59 AM CDT | Updated Oct 19, 2012 7:50 AM CDT

(Newser) – A great sign of hope for Malala Yousufzai: Doctors say that with help, she was able to stand for the first time since being shot in the head by the Taliban, reports ITV News. The Pakistani teen also is able to write, reports AP, though she still can't speak. She is being treated in Britain, and doctors hope to arrange to have her listen to a phone call from her father in Pakistan. The extent of her brain injuries still is not clear, but she is "well enough that she's agreed that she's happy, in fact keen, for us to share more clinical detail," says the medical director of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

He adds that Malala is still battling an infection from the bullet, but that she has shown steady progress since coming out of her long anesthesia, reports the Los Angeles Times. “One of the first things she asked the nurses was what country she was in,” he says. "She’s closer to the edge of the woods, but she’s not out of the woods.” Since the attack, Malala has become the face of the movement for girls' education.

Pakistani students sing as they hold pictures of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai.
Pakistani students sing as they hold pictures of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai.   (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Pakistani men hold pictures of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai in a gesture of support.
Pakistani men hold pictures of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai in a gesture of support.   (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
In this Oct. 9 file photo, 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai is moved to a helicopter to be taken to Peshawar for treatment in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan.
In this Oct. 9 file photo, 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai is moved to a helicopter to be taken to Peshawar for treatment in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan.   (AP Photo/Sherin Zada, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 27 comments
apocalypso
Oct 21, 2012 2:06 PM CDT
LOL, the newest Kardashian...
editorkim
Oct 19, 2012 2:03 PM CDT
Too bad we can't say the same for the scores of children dead thanks to American drone strikes. Picking and choosing which children's senseless deaths are more or less outrageous than others--it's the new American way!
bahari@bellsouth.net
Oct 19, 2012 12:42 PM CDT
My prayers are with this brave child and her family. Down with the Taliban.
 

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