Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting, has continued to move forward in his recovery, his mother stated in an update Monday, explaining "progress and recovery physically and emotionally are slow and difficult."
"Even on days when he is tired, scared, feels pain or when, as an eight-year-old little boy, his belief in the value of physical therapy is waning, he pushes forward," Cooper's mother, Keely Roberts, stated in a written update. "He is truly his father’s son, and he will lean into his sports-minded, competitive nature when all else seems to fail to motivate him. He wants to put himself in a position to win, even though no one can promise him what a win actually means. He desperately wants to walk again; to run and play with his brother, sisters, and friends like he used to..."
At the same time, Keely said, Cooper's brother Luke's struggles "may not be as physically visible but are deep and painful and real." Luke, Cooper's twin, was also present at the parade when the mass shooting occurred.
"Progress and recovery physically and emotionally are slow and difficult," the boys' mother stated. "The support and care our family and the boys have received from this community -- a community that has been so hurt itself -- is unreal. Our religious community, the boys’ school, our Highland Park community and the entire North Shore …you are our family and we love you. You saved our lives..."
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In her statement, the boys' mother went on to explain how much George, a French bulldog puppy the family got around the holidays last year, has meant for her sons' recovery.
"...What that little pup has meant emotionally to Cooper and Luke, what he has helped them through is totally indescribable," their mother stated. "The love and bond between this little pup and those boys is a sight to be seen. Sincerely, as a mother, I will forever be grateful to George and all he has brought to our family; especially to these two little boys who needed his unconditional love right now more than ever."
Keely added she and her family are inspired by the strength and dedication of people who are caregivers to relatives with special needs.
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"...We are inspired by your strength, inspired by your dedication, motivated by your modeling of what absolute selflessness looks like and we see your daily acts of love," she statement "You are all role models to us. We want to send holiday wishes of love and strength to all the fellow caregivers out there. Know that we look forward to continuing to learn from you. You are a total inspiration to us and a blessing to your family."
Keely concluded her statement expressing thankfulness to everyone who continues to show Cooper, Luke and their family love, noting that while her family has a long road of healing ahead, they will " face each day with bravery, hope, love and a belief in the best in people."
"...We can do so with confidence because we are reminded every day of this through your acts of kindness and love that the world is a remarkable place, filled with great people who go out of their way to care for others..." she said, in part.
The complete update from Keely Roberts is posted below:
"I have been wrestling for some time about how to write this update. Certainly, for us, this has been a year unlike any other. Our entire lives have been completely shattered and we are working as best we can to put the pieces back together. These past weeks have been emotionally charged; they have been “dig deep” weeks and I know that as we continue through the holiday season more of those “it-takes-all-you-have” days are on the horizon.
Cooper has continued to work tirelessly. Even on days when he is tired, scared, feels pain or when, as an eight-year-old little boy, his belief in the value of physical therapy is waning, he pushes forward. He is truly his father’s son, and he will lean into his sports-minded, competitive nature when all else seems to fail to motivate him. He wants to put himself in a position to win, even though no one can promise him what a win actually means. He desperately wants to walk again; to run and play with his brother, sisters, and friends like he used to. At the same time, Luke’s struggles may not be as physically visible but are deep and painful and real.
Progress and recovery physically and emotionally are slow and difficult. The support and care our family and the boys have received from this community -- a community that has been so hurt itself -- is unreal. Our religious community, the boys’ school, our Highland Park community and the entire North Shore …you are our family and we love you. You saved our lives. You have loved us as your own; you have cared for us, prayed for us, fed us, cheered us on, cried with us, rallied around us, held our hands…you have shown us such generosity in every way possible…and all while you were grieving, too. We are so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.
Last year at the holidays, the boys got an adorable new little marshmallow-looking French bulldog puppy. Never at that time could we have known what was going to happen to our beloved community, what would happen to our family and that this puppy (George) would become instrumental in Cooper’s recovery as Cooper worked tirelessly while in the hospital and rehab to be reunited with the pup he loves so much. We thought we were just buying the boys their first pet. What that little pup has meant emotionally to Cooper and Luke, what he has helped them through is totally indescribable. The love and bond between this little pup and those boys is a sight to be seen. Sincerely, as a mother, I will forever be grateful to George and all he has brought to our family; especially to these two little boys who needed his unconditional love right now more than ever.
We are working with intentionality each day to lean into gratefulness and appreciation. Some days, leaning into gratefulness feels easy to do. Other days, when Cooper is hurting so, so very much or when Luke is struggling…it can be very hard to lean into gratefulness. And that feels terrible to say, absolutely shameful to say, because this amazing community, so many of you locally and around the country and around the world, have been lovingly relentless in your efforts to show us kindness and support.
We have tremendous respect for all of the many, many people out there who are caregivers to family members with special needs, whatever those needs may be. The emotional toll of caring for someone you love and who has additional physical needs and/or requires special emotional care is hard to put into words. It is even harder for me to find the words to share how that type of work has very real physical weight to it. The long hours, the overnight hours, the sometimes-profound sadness, the incredible emotional strain…it is so hard to put it into words. We are in awe of all you who have walked this path already or are walking it now. We are inspired by your strength, inspired by your dedication, motivated by your modeling of what absolute selflessness looks like and we see your daily acts of love. You are all role models to us. We want to send holiday wishes of love and strength to all the fellow caregivers out there. Know that we look forward to continuing to learn from you. You are a total inspiration to us and a blessing to your family.
Finally, we want to thank everyone around the state, country and the world who continues to show Cooper, Luke and my family such love. I wish I knew how to sufficiently express how much each message means to us, how important every prayer said on the boys’ behalf is, how to convey just how much we appreciate the support and well-wishes. I know that my words fall short and for that I am sorry. We believe that the support, love, kindness and prayers being sent ABSOLUTELY make a difference in Cooper and Luke’s recovery; we know it does. We appreciate you all and are so grateful for everything you are doing to keep Cooper’s healing in your prayers and on your hearts. Our entire family has a long road of healing & recovery ahead, but we will face each day with bravery, hope, love and a belief in the best in people. We can do so with confidence because we are reminded every day of this through your acts of kindness and love that the world is a remarkable place, filled with great people who go out of their way to care for others. Thank you for helping us to continue to teach our children that, even in the face of this Evil bestowed upon us, the world is beautiful, miracles are real, people are wonderful & that Good always prevails over Evil in the end -- love wins.
During this season of hope, love and miracles, thank you for the hope and love you give to us. We ask that you please keep praying for Cooper’s full recovery and for both Luke and Cooper to heal from their pain. We also encourage you to continue to follow Cooper’s story. We really do believe in miracles -- we know that Cooper is already proof that miracles do come true. I promise you, his story is not finished – not by a long shot - and we pray the best is yet to come."
