It's too early to know the long-term prognosis for the attorney shot eight times outside her Sandy Springs apartment. But so far, she's made phenomenal progress, doctors said Tuesday afternoon.
Adina Parson, 40, was transferred Tuesday to the Shepherd Center from Grady Memorial Hospital, where she had been since the April 20 shooting.
"The fact that she's here is a good sign," Dr. Anna Elmers told reporters Tuesday.
Parson, an attorney for the state Department of Public Health, was shot three times in the head while in the breezeway of her apartment. Two weeks after the shooting, police named her husband as the suspect. Saturday, Michael Parson was arrested and charged in the shooting, and he is in custody in Texas, according to police.
Although initially not expected to survive her injuries, Adina Parson is very alert, doctors said, but she remains on a ventilator and is not speaking. One bullet remains lodged in her chest and there are no immediate plans to remove it, they said.
In the coming days, Adina Parson will undergo further evaluations and therapy, doctors said.
"We're hoping for the best and giving her every opportunity to recover," said Dr. Donald Leslie, medical director for the center.
The Texas Highway Patrol arrested Michael Parson just before midnight Saturday, one day after police announced an arrest warrant had been issued.
He has been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and giving false statements in writing concealing the facts of a felony, Capt. Steve Rose with Sandy Springs police has said.
A Fulton County Grand Jury is expected to hear the case Friday, Rose said Tuesday. If indicted, Michael Parson could be back in Georgia by early next week, Rose said.
Meanwhile, doctors at the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta rehabilitation hospital for people with spinal cord and brain injuries, are optimistic Adina Parson will continue to recover. Family members and close friends have rallied by the side of a woman known for her gentle spirit and eagerness to help others.
A website, www.prayingforadina.wordpress.com, was created to provide updates on Adina Parson's condition, and an account has been set up at Chase Bank to assist the family with expenses.
"Not everyone can survive eight bullets," Elmers said. "She is very fortunate."
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