Hospital: Shot Pakistani schoolgirl can stand, communicate
October 19, 2012 -- Updated 1520 GMT (2320 HKT)
Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai was able to stand up and communicate on Friday, October 19.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Malala understands where she is and wants to thank people for interest, hospital says
- NEW: "It is possible she will make a smooth recovery," hospital director says
- Malala is communicating through written notes; she can't talk because of a tracheotomy tube
- She was shot after she defied the Taliban by insisting on girls' right to education
Editor's note: Send a message for Malala
London (CNN) -- Pakistani schoolgirl Malala
Yousufzai stood for the first time after her shooting Friday morning and
is "communicating very freely," according to the director of the UK
hospital where she is undergoing treatment.
Malala can't talk because
she has a tracheotomy tube inserted to protect her airway, which was
swollen after her gunshot injury, but she is writing coherent sentences,
said Dave Rosser, director of University Hospitals Birmingham.
"We have no reason to believe she won't be able to talk when the tube is out, which may be in the next few days," he said.
She "is not out of the woods yet" but is doing very well, he added.
The latest progress
report -- more detailed than previous updates -- suggests that the
schoolgirl shot after she defied the Taliban by insisting on the right
of girls to go to school could make a good recovery.
Malala shooting: An eye opener?
The history of the Pakistani Taliban
Gordon Brown: Malala attack 'unspeakable'
Malala's friend: No regrets
There "is certainly
physical damage to the brain" from the bullet that entered Malala's
head, Rosser said, but she appears to be functioning well intellectually
and has the motor control to stand, with help from nurses.
"Whether there's any subtle intellectual or memory deficits down the line, it's too early to say," he said.
Rosser said Malala, who
is aware of her surroundings and appears to have some memory of what
happened, had agreed that the hospital could tell the public more about
her medical condition.
"She is keen that people
share the details. She is also keen that I thank people for their
support and their interest because she's obviously aware of the amount
of interest this is generating around the world," he said.
One of the first things
she asked nurses Tuesday afternoon, as she gradually regained
consciousness, was what country she was in, he said.
"There is every sign
that she understands why she's here," he said. "It's a very difficult
position for her because she's gone from being on her school bus, and
the next thing she will be consciously aware of is being in a strange
hospital in a different country. So she seems to have understood why she
is no longer in Pakistan and what is happening to her."
Malala has spoken to hospital staff in Urdu and also seems to understand English, he said.
Many well-wishers have sent messages of support for the teen, and the hospital has set up a bank account to receive donations.
In terms of Malala's
care, the key concern for doctors at present is to treat signs of
infection probably related to the path the bullet took through her body,
Rosser said.
The bullet entered above
the back of her left eye, traveled down through her jaw and into her
left shoulder, lodging in the tissue above her shoulder blade, he said.
Her skull and jaw were damaged by its passage.
MRI scans also show that
the bullet grazed the side of her brain, he said, although in such
cases, most of the damage tends to be caused by shock waves from the
shot.
The hospital is trying
to arrange for the 15-year-old to listen to her father on the phone,
although she cannot speak because of the tracheotomy tube, he added.
Malala is likely to
spend another couple of weeks recovering before the team of specialist
doctors considers reconstructive surgery on her skull, either using a
piece of bone that was initially removed or a titanium plate, Rosser
said. She may also need surgery on her jaw joint in future.
"It certainly would be
over-optimistic to say there won't be any further problems, but it is
possible she will make a smooth recovery," he said.
Doctors and nurses are
trying very hard to limit communication to her medical needs rather than
risk setting back her recovery by discussing the trauma of the attack,
he said.
The shooting in the
northwestern district of Swat last week, which left Malala battling to
recover from her injuries, generated a wave of shock and anger in
Pakistan and around the world.
The Taliban quickly
claimed responsibility for the act, but they didn't appear to have
anticipated the level of revulsion and condemnation that it would
provoke.
Thousands of people
joined in rallies across Pakistan in support of the wounded teen, and
calls have grown for a strong response from the government.
Authorities are investigating the attack and say they have made a number of arrests.
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