Cooper Roberts: Boy, 8, paralyzed in Highland Park shooting moves to rehab and reunites with his dog
Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed after being shot in the Highland Park shooting, has been discharged from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation-focused hospital. Cooper suffered a gunshot to his abdomen in the July 4 shooting and his spinal cord was severed. He was airlifted to a hospital in Chicago. The news is a positive development for the 8-year-old whose family calls his survival a 'miracle.'
A family spokesperson told Chicago SunTimes on Friday, July 29 morning that the boy was no longer in critical condition and is continuing to make progress. “Cooper is eating solid food now, including one of his favorites, mac and cheese,” the Roberts family said in a written statement released Monday. “He was also able to visit with his dog George, a happy reunion for them both.” Cooper requested his dog just days after he was shot.
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Cooper was transferred out of the pediatric intensive care unit to a general floor at the hospital after almost a month. The boy’s collapsed lung continues to heal and he is breathing on his own, the spokesperson said. He has been fever-free and last week was able to eat solid food for the first time. Cooper was also able to visit the playroom in the hospital several times. He was medically cleared and transferred to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the family said Monday. The AbilityLab medical team will meet with Cooper and his family to conduct a series of comprehensive assessments and determine the appropriate physical and occupational therapy, as well as other rehabilitation and mental health services.
Cooper’s twin, Luke, was also wounded in the shooting, hit by shrapnel in his leg. The boys’ mother, Keely Roberts, suffered leg and foot wounds. Keely made her first public comments last week since the shooting last, thanking members of the community who jumped in to aid the family. She is the superintendent for Zion Elementary School District 6. “I want to thank the people who were there to help us in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy as we were sitting shocked and scared and bleeding on the sidewalk at a parade in our hometown,” she said in a written statement according to Crimeonline. “When we were shot, it wasn’t the police or firemen who got to us first, it was community members, an off-duty doctor and nurses, and other parade goers who raced to our sides.”
She also added " Please keep following along and praying for Cooper and for Luke. They are good, sweet boys who love everyone and want good for everyone they know. They believe in the best in people and in the world. Their lives are so much more and better than this terrible thing that was done to them. Their lives are not a tragedy, they are a triumph." Friends of the family have raised more than $1.7 million through GoFundMe.
