Cooper Roberts, boy paralyzed in Highland Park shooting, finally reunites with family at home

HIGHLAND PARK, Unwell. (WLS) — An 8-year-old boy paralyzed within the lethal Highland Park parade capturing has lastly returned house, his household mentioned Thursday.

Roberts had been a affected person at Comer Youngsters’s Hospital and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which have saved him separated from his dad, mother, twin brother Luke, 4 sisters and his French Bulldog pet. Over the previous few months, has undergone quite a few surgical procedures, was absolutely intubated and on a ventilator at factors, and nonetheless should bear every day rehabilitation to deal with the damaged vertebrae, extreme spinal wire harm and paralysis on account of the gunshot wound.

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His mother and father launched an emotional message Thursday to all those that have been protecting Roberts of their ideas and prayers as they alter to their “new regular.”

The household’s GoFundMe might be discovered right here.

Be aware: The video within the participant above is from a earlier report.

Cooper is lastly again house!

We’re at a complete lack of phrases to precise how crammed with gratitude, love and wholeness we now really feel on condition that we’re in a position to lastly have Cooper again at house. There was a time, not all that way back, the place we had been desperately and feverishly praying only for Cooper to reside. To have the ability to have Cooper house and our household all reunited collectively once more is such an incredible blessing. He is ready to reside as soon as once more together with his twin brother, Luke, and resume being each other’s perfect playmates. You are taking with no consideration how great it’s to have the ability to have all of your kids collectively and the way vital they’re to one another till it’s taken away. Having our kids reunited as a sibling unit and figuring out that they are often collectively at any time when they want or wish to, is so particular to us and to Cooper. They’ve held one another up and thru a lot throughout what has been essentially the most horrific time of their lives. They’ve seen, in a means they by no means had earlier than, simply how a lot they enrich one another’s lives and the way deep their love for each other really is. It has been an honor and a privilege as their mother and father to observe all six of them lean on and raise one another up all through this devastating ordeal. We’re so pleased with the human beings that they’re, and Cooper is so comfortable to be house with them.We all know that Cooper continues to face a heartbreakingly merciless and unfair street forward. The transition to having Cooper’s in depth medical wants being addressed at house vs. on the hospital or rehabilitation clinic is a huge studying curve for all of us. And, now that he’s house, Cooper has to deal each day with the disappointment and grief of recognizing all of the issues he is misplaced – all that he used to have the ability to do at his home, in his neighborhood, that he can not do anymore … playgrounds he can not play on, sports activities he can not bodily play the best way he used to, a yard he can not play in the identical means he used to, a motorbike within the storage that sits idle, that we used to should battle him to cease using every day… even a lot of his own residence which he can not entry. For all of the love that he has come again to, there are such a lot of painful reminders of what he has misplaced. There is no such thing as a phrase that we all know of that adequately describes the extent of ache you’re feeling or that Cooper feels when he sees his bike he can not experience or his previous soccer jersey…heartbreaking, agonizing, despair – there’s simply not a painful sufficient description.This “new regular” we’re simply beginning throughout this transition house is difficult; actually, actually arduous. It’s crammed with numerous new challenges and continued grief for what we have now misplaced. There may be numerous attempting to determine easy methods to choose up the damaged items of a life we knew and put it again collectively, however with out the directions. Even our house, which all of us have liked, merely can not work for us anymore with Cooper and a wheelchair and lots of different wants. It is one more factor that retains us up at evening – how will we discover, renovate or construct a house that may work for our household once more? Proper now, Cooper is just in a position to entry sure components of the home – that’s not proper for him or for our household.But, we select to concentrate on what we do have. Cooper is alive and residential and our candy and beautiful athletic little boy has made up his thoughts that he’s going to determine new methods to play sports activities. To steal a lyric from an important nation tune (thanks, Kacey Musgraves), in a happy-and-sad-all-at-the-same-time second, Cooper has determined that he’s going to seek out new sports activities to play. Cooper has determined to take up wheelchair tennis. He has already been to the tennis courts a pair occasions! He and Luke are every excited to essentially study to play the sport and can hopefully play each collectively and individually for years to return. We’ve got little doubt Cooper will probably be depraved superior at tennis…and some other sport he decides to play. It can simply be completely different.For the reason that very begin, Cooper has impressed us. He’s courageous and sort. He’s powerful as nails but extremely tender-hearted. He cares extra about others well-being than his personal. He loves the world…and it’s due to the love and prayers you have got all despatched and proceed to ship to him that we imagine he continues on a path of therapeutic. Please proceed to hope for our candy little boy…we all know he’ll present the whole world that love actually does win ultimately.With So A lot Love and Gratitude,Jason and Keely Roberts