CHICAGO — For the first time in 19 days, Cooper Roberts, 8, went outside – and was finally able to enjoy an orange popsicle.
The little boy was shot and left paralyzed from the waist down in the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where a gunman killed seven people and wounded dozens more.
Since then, Cooper’s progress has been “up and down,” family spokesperson Anthony Loizzi said Friday. He remains in the pediatric intensive care unit at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
A tear in Cooper’s esophagus continues to heal from surgeries, and the popsicle marked the first time Cooper was able to take liquid by mouth, Loizzi said.
“He was downgraded to serious condition briefly yesterday but moved back to critical based on the latest CT scan,” Loizzi said. “The spiking fever has returned, off and on, likely due to this infection.”
‘I’m angry now’: Parade shooting leaves another community traumatized – and transformed
Cooper was shot in the abdomen andsuffered a severed spine. His twin brother, Luke, and mother, a local schools superintendent, were also injured in the shooting.
Cooper underwent multiple surgeries and was previously on a ventilator. When he regained consciousness, Cooper asked to see his brother and dog, George, Loizzi said.
Loizzi said the family is grateful and humbled by the support they’ve received. Cooper’s favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, sent a special care package with a jersey with his name on it. That “really lifted his spirits,” Loizzi said.
“Please keep sending love and prayers to my son as he continues to fight as hard as he can,” Cooper’s mother, Keely Roberts, said in a previous statement.
Highland Park shooting: Milwaukee Brewers show support for 8-year-old fan
The update on Cooper’s health comes as the larger North Shore community continues to grieve lost loved ones. Many have already been speaking up about what they believe needs to change to prevent the next mass shooting.
On Wednesday, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering testified before a Senate committee hearing on assault weapons.
“Less than a minute is all it took for a person with an assault weapon to shoot 83 rounds into a crowd, forever changing so many lives. And the most disturbing part? This is the norm in our country,” Rotering said. “How do we call this freedom?”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Highland Park 8-year-old survivor Cooper Roberts continues to recover
Source: Read Full Article
