Calling their loved one’s survival a “true miracle,” the family of Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed in the mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, thanked emergency responders who saved the boy’s life.
In a statement, Anthony Loisi, a family spokesman, said Cooper’s family wanted to recognize and thank the “many, many people,” including paramedics, police, firefighters, nurses and doctors, who “did extraordinary things to save a life of the little boy”.
“It was a real miracle,” he said.
Cooper was attending the Fourth of July parade with his twin brother, mother and father when a gunman fired dozens of rounds into the crowd, killing at least seven people.
Cooper was shot in the chest and suffered significant injuries, including a severed spinal cord, Loisi previously said. As of Sunday evening, he remained in serious condition at Comer Children’s Hospital and was scheduled to undergo a procedure to repair damage to his esophagus on Monday.
The weekend was particularly difficult, according to the family’s spokesperson, as the family informed Cooper that he was paralyzed.
“He is in great pain – physically and emotionally – especially after the family had to share with him the devastating news that he is paralyzed from the waist down,” the statement added.
Cooper’s mother, Keeley Roberts, superintendent of Zion Elementary School District 6, and his twin brother, Luke, were also struck by gunfire and injured in the shooting.
Roberts was hit in the foot and legs, underwent several surgeries and was released from the hospital at her request so she could be by Cooper’s side, Loisi said. Luke suffered shrapnel injuries and was released from the hospital.
The full statement is below:
“It’s been a very difficult weekend for the Roberts family, who are caring for their 8-year-old son, Cooper Roberts, who was shot and suffered a severed spinal cord, among other injuries, at the Independence Day Parade in Highland Park, Illinois. He is in a lot of pain – physical and emotional – especially after the family had to share the devastating news that he is paralyzed from the waist down.
The family would like to provide these updates, some of which are new news after more in-depth conversations with the heroic doctors and nurses who first cared for Cooper at Highland Park Hospital:
- He is still in serious condition.
- He is scheduled for another procedure tomorrow to treat damage to his esophagus.
- The bullet entered his abdomen and not his chest as first thought.
- From the doctors at Highland Park Hospital:
- “Cooper suffered serious injuries in a very dangerous place. The bullet entered his upper abdomen, injuring the left lobe of his liver, his esophagus near his stomach, his abdominal aorta, and exited through his back, injuring his spinal cord. He needed emergency surgery to control the bleeding in his abdomen. Because the missile entered just below the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdomen, bleeding from the aorta could not be controlled by the abdomen. We had to do a thoracotomy, opening his chest to temporarily clamp the aorta to stop the bleeding. Because the injury to the aorta was so severe, the damaged segment had to be removed and replaced with an adult-sized synthetic graft for him to grow into. The hole in the esophagus was sutured. The complex injury to his liver was also repaired. Due to the severity of his injuries and the massive amount of blood transfusions he required during the operation, his abdomen was left open with a specialized vacuum bandage. At this point, his critical, life-threatening injuries were addressed and he was stable enough to be transferred to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital for continued care.
The family would like to recognize and thank the many, many people – EMS, police, fire, nurses and doctors at both hospitals – who did extraordinary things to save Cooper’s life. It was a real miracle. And to thank from the bottom of my heart the thousands who prayed, sent gifts, supported the family in countless ways and donated to the Go Fund Me campaign for Cooper’s long-term care:”
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