Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed after being shot by a gunman who opened fire on Fourth of July parade-goers in Highland Park, marked an exciting, yet challenging new shift in his recovery process, his family announced.
That moment is his return to school.
Things will be noticeably different, and the transition back to school will be gradual, his family stressed, but "his return to school this week is an incredible milestone for a little boy who almost three months to the day of his first day of third grade."
"It has been one of the most humbling and hopeful experiences of our lives to watch our precious 8-year-old who has had so much cruelly and violently ripped away from him -- his life needlessly and forever changed -- so cheerfully and excitedly count down the days leading to his return to school," his family said in a statement released Monday. "Cooper is as aware as any little boy can be of the new challenges ahead of him at school and he is willingly facing them head-on to be reunited with the children and adults from his school whom he loves so dearly."
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Cooper has already had his first day back and "loved every minute," his family said.
"We were so nervous, we couldn’t sleep the night before his first day back," the family's statement read. "We cried in the parking lot as he wheeled himself into the school, cried as we pulled out of the parking lot…we were just a mess! He loved every minute, and his exact words were, 'If I had not been shot and paralyzed and had to be in a wheelchair, it would have been a perfect school day, but it was a really great day! I loved it!' We celebrated this milestone, and we celebrated Cooper for accomplishing something that he really wanted to accomplish. He has been so unbelievably brave and genuinely so overjoyed to return to school – it was a huge hurdle, and we pray his positive feelings can continue."
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But despite the optimism, the family noted that the milestone moment wasn't without its battles.
"Cooper’s return to school is not without sadness and pain. He is terribly sad about not getting to run around with his friends in the field at recess. He is heartbroken about not getting to play on the jungle gym, hang on the monkey bars, slide down the slide, swing on the swings, kick the ball. He can’t be there all day or even every day," their statement read. "He sees the things he cannot do. Yet, Cooper continues to affirm for us that his spirit, his soul, his 'Cooperness' remains. The hideous, evil act did not take that from him because he won’t let it."
Cooper returned home from the hospital less than a month ago.
"We are at a total loss of words to express how filled with gratitude, love and wholeness we now feel given that we are able to finally have Cooper back at home," his parents said in a statement at the time. "There was a time, not all that long ago, where we were desperately and feverishly praying just for Cooper to live. To be able to have Cooper home and our family all reunited together again is such an amazing blessing."
The transition, they said, has been and will continue to be difficult, especially as they navigate the challenges of renovating or building a new home that can work for Cooper. But they remain optimistic.
"We choose to focus on what we do have," the family said at the time. "Cooper is alive and home and our sweet and lovely athletic little boy has made up his mind that he is going to figure out new ways to play sports."
Among those sports is wheelchair tennis, which Cooper has already begun to experience and his brother Luke plans to join him for.
More than $2 million has been raised for the family so far in the wake of Cooper's tragic injury. Another fundraising event is scheduled to take place on Oct. 16 at Whiskey River Bar and Grill in Glenview.
Read the family's full letter below:
This week marked a very significant and special milestone in Cooper’s recovery, his slow yet remarkable transition back to school! For a long time, we didn’t know if this day would ever come; a day where we were able to watch Cooper return, with his brother Luke, to school again. The life-threatening nature of his injuries and the significant rehabilitation he has needed (and continues to need for hours every day) made it seem as though returning to school would be something we could only hope for way in the distant future. Given his need to remain in day therapy each week, and the time required is constantly re-evaluated, Cooper’s transition back to school will be slow and gradual. Nevertheless, his return to school this week is an incredible milestone for a little boy who almost three months to the day of his first day of third grade had been desperately fighting for his life from critical gunshot wounds and is now wheelchair bound.
It has been one of the most humbling and hopeful experiences of our lives to watch our precious 8-year-old who has had so much cruelly and violently ripped away from him -- his life needlessly and forever changed -- so cheerfully and excitedly count down the days leading to his return to school. Cooper is as aware as any little boy can be of the new challenges ahead of him at school and he is willingly facing them head-on to be reunited with the children and adults from his school whom he loves so dearly.
The fear of how being paralyzed impacts him in his physical, social, and academic environment … the anxiety about all of the countless unknowns he will encounter … the endless “what if” questions he thinks about … these run across his mind and ours literally all day long, like an endless reel of worry … these are some of the new realities for Cooper as he moves forward in his transition back home, back to school, back to a new life unlike anything he or we have ever faced. We all are learning how to cope with these components of our new reality.
We were so nervous, we couldn’t sleep the night before his first day back. We cried in the parking lot as he wheeled himself into the school, cried as we pulled out of the parking lot…we were just a mess! He loved every minute, and his exact words were “If I had not been shot and paralyzed and had to be in a wheelchair, it would have been a perfect school day, but it was a really great day! I loved it!” We celebrated this milestone, and we celebrated Cooper for accomplishing something that he really wanted to accomplish. He has been so unbelievably brave and genuinely so overjoyed to return to school – it was a huge hurdle, and we pray his positive feelings can continue.
We have also learned, fast and hard, that we can only take one day at a time. There will be setbacks and disappointments. This journey we are on; Cooper, Luke, and our entire family, it is an uphill one. Beyond the physical impact of the shooting, the impact of the trauma on all of us is always, always just below the surface; waiting to rear its ugly head. Cooper’s return to school is not without sadness and pain. He is terribly sad about not getting to run around with his friends in the field at recess. He is heartbroken about not getting to play on the jungle gym, hang on the monkey bars, slide down the slide, swing on the swings, kick the ball. He can’t be there all day or even every day. He sees the things he cannot do. Yet, Cooper continues to affirm for us that his spirit, his soul, his “Cooperness” remains. The hideous, evil act did not take that from him because he won’t let it. He is always going to be more concerned about others than he is for himself, find the positive in any situation, still be “the sporty kid,” and will always love his family and friends fiercely. That is who Cooper has always been and that is who he still is.
We continue to ask for your prayers for Cooper. Without a shadow of a doubt, we believe that Cooper’s incredible story of survival against all odds and his continued story of healing is a result of the love and prayers he has received from so many people from around the world. Cooper has a long, long road ahead of him in rehabilitation on his journey of recovery. We believe that Cooper’s story is just beginning and that he can, and will, show the world that there is no greater power in the world than the power of love.
