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Highland Park shooting victim Cooper Roberts doing better, took part in wheelchair race
Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, continues to improve and is now in better spirits, a family spokesperson said.
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, continues to improve and is now in better spirits, a family spokesperson said.
The spokesperson says Cooper no longer requires IV pain medicine and antibiotics, and that he can also eat regular foods rather than a liquid diet.
Some of his favorite foods he’s snacking on again are Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Lay’s Dill Pickle Chips, Cheetos, and extra Cheddar flavor-blasted Goldfish.
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Cooper’s family says removing the IV tubes has really boosted his mood, and that he's even participating in wheelchair races at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — a rehabilitation hospital in Chicago.
The family says they're enjoying every minute they're able to spend together.
Cooper also received a visit from former Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Shazier, who is recovering from his own spinal injury that he sustained on the football field in 2017.
"Ryan was transparent, authentic, genuine and gracious in sharing insights with us about his path to recovery," the Roberts family said in their statement.
As for Cooper’s prognosis, the family spokesperson says doctors still don’t know what movement he may get back and what limitations he will have to live with during his lifetime.
Cooper was shot in the back during the parade and the bullet exited his chest. He’s undergone multiple surgeries.