CHICAGO — The summer for 8-year-old Cooper Roberts was suddenly truncated by the mass shooting at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, where he was wounded and left paralyzed from the waist down. Despite a turbulent recovery, Cooper was finally transferred to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab earlier this month to begin rehabilitation as he also gets ready to return to school with his twin brother, Luke.
Though the family is hopeful, they have not received a full prognosis to determine the extent of Cooper’s injuries or if he will be able to walk again. According to a weekly statement on the boy’s progress, the AbilityLab team has not been able to complete a foundational American Spinal Injury Association impaired Scale assessment due to continued swelling in the affected areas.
The boy is now participating in daily physical and occupational therapy to help him regain strength and build mobility. He is expected to remain at the AbilityLab for inpatient rehabilitation for the next six to 12 weeks.
