1 Year Later: Mark Kelly on Gabrielle Giffords' Recovery

Jan. 8, 2012 — -- One year after the tragedy in Tucson that almost claimed Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' life, the congresswoman is stringing together full sentences and even asking questions, her husband Mark Kelly told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

"She is continuing to improve each and every day," Kelly told ABC News' Dan Harris. "Just the other day she started asking me a few questions in a row. Back in March or April she hadn't asked a single question about anything."

Kelly spent 20 heart wrenching minutes after seeing an erroneous report one year ago today that said his wife had died.

Jared Loughner shot her in the back of her head. The bullet traveled the length of her brain on the left side and exited her skull. Kelly boarded a friend's plane and rushed from Texas to the scene of the tragedy in Tucson.

This year has had its series of challenges, Kelly said, but Giffords continues to power through and reach new goals, just as she has all of her life—both inside and outside of Congress.

"She gets disappointed. You know it's a natural thing when you're struggling with this kind of injury and this kind of disability that's she's working really hard to recover from," Kelly said. "But fortunately she's just a very positive person and somebody who works really hard and she can see the improvement so it usually doesn't last very long."

Kelly posted a picture of him and Giffords Saturday on his Twitter, showing the two at the Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Trailhead, which was named after Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' slain staffer who organized the Congress On Your Corner Event.

Later tonight, the two plan to attend a public vigil in Tucson, honoring the victims and survivors of the shooting.