Politics | Gabrielle Giffords Giffords Awake, Talking After Skull Surgery She is doing well after surgery to repair her skull By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted May 19, 2011 1:11 PM CDT Copied In this March, 2010 file photo, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Giffords is recuperating from implant surgery on her skull following a milestone in her recovery from an assassination attempt. (Anonymous) Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has woken up and is communicating after doctors placed an implant in her head to repair her skull yesterday, neurosurgeons said today in a news conference. The operation is another milestone in Giffords' recovery and will allow her to move around without the helmet she has worn since January when she began intensive rehabilitation in Houston. (Click to read more about the surgical procedure.) Read These Next 'I messed up,' says LaGuardia controller. Reacher star may have gone a bit too Reacher-y on his neighbor. A professional cornhole player with no arms, legs accused of murder. A flight attendant was ejected in LaGuardia crash, still in her seat. Report an error