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 A professional cornhole player with no arms, legs accused of murder. Iran war may bring the end of the venerable F-14 fighter jet. Moments before LaGuardia crash, strange odor on another plane. Valerie Perrine, Superman's Miss Teschmacher, has died at 82. Report an error