Bob Woodruff Still “Mildly Sedated;” He Reacts To Voices & Smiles At Family

David Westin‘s e-mail to ABC News staffers continues:

“Bob also continues to make good progress. The doctors are slowly bringing him out of sedation and are very pleased with the progress they’ve seen so far, especially in the last few days. As the doctors have explained to Lee and the family, the process of lowering the sedation is a slow one – both so Bob can continue to heal and also to keep him as comfortable as possible while he deals with the understandable pain associated with his injuries.

Despite the fact that he continues to be mildly sedated, Bob has been out of bed in a chair and his physical strength continues to impress his entire team. Bob’s responses to Lee and the children are even more heartening — Lee told me that Bob “reacts to their voices, returns their smiles and is initiating kisses.”

Once again, we all have to be patient. We’ve come some distance, but we still have a long way to go. Bob and his family will continue to need our support and our prayers. But in another sign of Bob’s moving along his path to recovery, the doctors have said that in the next few weeks it is reasonable to expect that he will be able to move to facilities in the New York area, bringing him closer to his family, his home, and the support structure here.”