Rep. Gabrielle Giffords cleared to attend husband's shuttle launch

(CBS) - Doctors have cleared Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who has been recovering from being shot in the head, to travel to Florida to attend the launch of her husband's space shuttle mission Friday, Giffords' husband astronaut Mark Kelly told CBS News Anchor Katie Couric in an exclusive interview to be broadcast Monday.

"I've met with her doctors, her neurosurgeon and her doctors. And...they've given us permission to take her down to the launch. I'm excited about that, yes," Kelly told Couric in an interview in Houston.

The congresswoman suffered a brain injury after she was shot in the head at a community event on January 8 in Tucson, Arizona.

When Giffords heard she'd be able to attend the launch, "she said, 'awesome' and she pumped her fist," Kelly said.

Giffords' has been progressing well, according to Kelly, though it is still hard for her to walk and communicate - but, "her personality's a hundred percent there," he told Couric.

Couric, who discussed the interview on "The Early Show," said that doctors' biggest concern about Giffords attending the launch is probably the travel to and from the site. She noted that part of Giffords' skull is still missing, though doctors plan to reattach it.

Couric's full interview will be broadcast on Monday, April 25 on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, 6:30 p.m. ET.