Over a week after being shot, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ condition has been upgraded from critical condition to serious.

Giffords no longer needs a ventilator to assist her breathing and a feeding tube has been put in its place. Dr. Michael Lemole, section chief of neurosurgery at the UA department of surgery, said the word “miraculous” applies to Giffords’ recovery.

Doctors recently repaired a fracture on her right eye socket that was putting pressure on her eye.

The procedure require a craniotomy which, “is opening a window to the skull,” Lemole said. An incision was made over her left eyebrow.

“I’m happy to say that within a few hours of the surgery she was waking up,” Lemole said, noting that over the weekend she returned to the baseline she was at prior to the surgery.

Dr. Randall S. Friese, associate medical director at the University Medical Center Trauma Center, and UA associate professor of surgery said that Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, has told him that she has been able to smile “occasionally.”

While acknowledging that sometimes people see what they want see Friese said, “If he says she’s smiling, I buy it.”

The next milestone Lemole wants to see is when Giffords is able to leave the hospital and go to a rehabilitation center, which could be “a matter of days to weeks.”

Giffords’ family is looking into finding the right rehabilitation center.

At UMC, Giffords is working with a therapist at her beside and her family. She was able to give her husband a backrub for 10 minutes that Lemole said indicates higher brain function.

Doctors don’t know if she is able to see out of both eyes because they cannot fully test her vision yet.

“Our suspicion is that she can see something,” Lemole said.

The other two patients from the shooting are currently in good condition and it is expected they will be released soon.

Memorial fund established for federal judge John Roll:

The Arizona State Bar Association and the UA are partnering to establish a scholarship fund in the memory of federal judge John Roll, who was killed during the shooting on Jan. 8.

The John M. Roll Memorial Fund will provide scholarship assistance to students at the UA’s James E. Rogers College of Law, Roll’s alma mater. Those interested can send donations to the following address:

James E. Rogers College of Law, P.O. Box 210176, Tucson AZ 85712-0176