Diane Sawyer on Gabby: Sunny, spirited, high octane woman

CREATED Nov. 14, 2011

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  • Sawyer talks about Gabby Giffords road to recovery Video by kgun9.com

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  • More of our interview with Diane Sawyer about her time with Gabby Giffords. Video by kgun9.com

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Reporter: Jennifer Waddell

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - ABC's Diane Sawyer agreed to do and interview with 9 On Your Side's Jennifer Waddell about the time she spent with Gabrielle Giffords leading up to the exclusive interview.

They talked about four themes that have run through the time since the January 8th shootings.

Sawyer and Gabby on Tucson:  "She points to her belt and she says Arizona.  And I say Tucson? And she says Tucson. It's so clear how much she loves Arizona, her district, the people who live there. Not just family and friends but the people who've been so supportive of her straight through this. You can see it is her home, her passion. In her face, in her light in her eyes."

Biggest Impression: "I was struck that she is aware of what she can do, what she cannot do.  I was in wonder how much the vitality is there.  At times she's funny, at times we see the pain she feels in her heart because of the others who were killed and wounded that day."

How She Learned About The Shootings:  "In the beginning she had no idea and the bullet obliterated that day.  Docs said you have to tell her.  In March, Mark was reading a newspaper and he was unaware how much she could track and follow what he was reading out loud to her. There was a paragraph he skipped and she said, no.  No, what's in that paragraph and that's how she learned the others who'd died that day."

How Gabby Affected Her:  "We all felt she is life giving.  We all felt she is a reminder that as mark likes to say, the sky is not the limit. Astronauts do not believe that.  To see her on these tapes achieving victory sometimes struggling then sad, then picking herself up.  To see what she brings to every single day ought to remind us that there are a lot of ways to define a beautiful day... showing us in spirit and in heart."