Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body. The aorta goes through the chest and abdomen. An aneurysm that occurs in the chest portion of the aorta is called a thoracic (tho-RAS-ik) aortic aneurysm. An aneurysm that occurs in the abdominal portion of the aorta is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Aneurysms also can occur in other arteries, but these types of aneurysm are less common.
Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona shooting survivor â A framed photograph of Giffords stands at the center of a memorial during a candlelight vigil at the University Medical Center on January 8, 2011. The congresswoman was shot in the head during an event that day in front of a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona.
Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly at the National Tribute Dinner at the Simone Wiesenthal Center. (CBS News) Gabby Giffords resigned her congressional seat earlier this year, but a new political action committee in her name is one way the Arizona Democrat plans to stay in politics. Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, announced the creation of Gabby PAC Tuesday, 20 months after Giffords was shot in the head during a mass shooting in Tucson. Politico first reported the former congresswoman filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission last week.