Shot Lawmaker's Eye Opening Described as 'Miracle'

Wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords astounded her husband, doctor, and colleagues Wednesday when she opened her eyes for the first time since being shot in the head, lawmakers told reporters Thursday.

"It felt like a miracle. It felt like we were watching a miracle," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama on board Air Force One after a memorial service in Arizona.

"Other than the birth of my kids, this was the most incredible feeling to see . . . one of your closest friends just struggle to come back to you," she said.

Wasserman Schultz and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand were talking to their wounded colleague in her hospital room shortly after Obama and his wife, Michelle, visited. The two women were encouraging their friend to recover quickly so they could go out to eat and vacation together, they said.

"We knew she could hear and understand what we were saying," Gillibrand told reporters.