Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Gabrielle Giffords spent an unforgettable vacation last summer together in New Hampshire with their family and other friends.
So it was natural the good times were what Wasserman Schultz turned to as she watched her friend laying in a hospital bed, still reeling from the effects of a gunshot wound to the head.
"Gabby, you've got to get back on your feet because we're expecting you back in New Hampshire," Wasserman Schultz said to Giffords.
And with those words, a "miracle" happened.
Giffords, who was the target of a heinous attack in Tucson over the weekend, opened her eyes for the first time Wednesday night - stunning her friends and doctors who were at the U.S. Representative's bedside.
"It was like watching a miracle happen," said Wasserman Schultz, a Broward Democrat. "Our hearts were just bursting to be able to be with her and have her hearing our voice. It was incredible."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York were also in the room.
What happened next was equally astonishing. Giffords began to acknowledge people in the room, including her husband, Mark Kelly, who admonished his wife to give a thumbs up as a sign she would pull through. And she did.
"She's becoming more aware of her surroundings," trauma chief Dr. Peter Rhee said during a news conference at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday.
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Giffords was one of 13 people wounded by gunshots during a public appearance at a Safeway store. Six people were killed in the hail of bullets.
Doctors immediately began typing away on their Blackberries and tears were flowing from everyone in the room, Wasserman Schultz said.
After 15 minutes, the visitors were ushered out of Giffords hospital room so doctors could capitalize on the astonishing progress. Outside, a doctor pulled Wasserman Schultz aside and told her that he thought the influence friends could have in a situation like Giffords was overrated - until Wednesday.
"I have always been a believer in girl power," Wasserman Schultz told the doctor. "But girlfriend power is a little bit stronger."
