Boy, 8, who was paralyzed in Highland Park mass shooting is suffering from short-term memory loss
An 8-year-old boy who was shot and paralyzed during the Highland Park mass shooting on July 4 is now suffering from short-term memory and cognitive loss as he struggles to adapt to his new life.
Cooper Roberts was shot in the abdomen by the gunman and was paralyzed from the waist down when the bullet severed his spine, leaving him with little chance to walk again.
A recent statement from Cooper’s family, who have been open with his struggles, said his rehabilitation team at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago are ‘seeing some patterns that may indicate cognitive loss.’
His family say on their GoFundMe for Cooper that he was not talking enough in the early days of his recovery for them to notice the issues, but they are becoming clearer as time goes on.
‘Therapists are seeing short-term memory loss, issues with word recovery, and loss of acuity around fine more skills,’ the statement said.
‘They are doing a comprehensive neurological and psychological evaluation this week and working on new therapies’ to help the suffering boy.
Cooper Roberts, pictured before the shooting, is struggling to come to terms with the new reality of his life as he struggles to recover from his injuries, his family said
The latest photo of Cooper shows him in his beloved Milwaukee Brewers jersey
Roberts, 8, pictured using a standing-wheelchair for the first time
Cooper and his French bulldog were united this month for the first time since his injury in July
The family also said Cooper’s rehabilitation team is ‘working with us to think through long-term needs for Cooper once he is home.’
These needs include ‘assistive technologies he needs to help him with daily living and the house features necessary for a child who will grow with a pediatric spinal cord injury.’
They say the entire ordeal is ‘overwhelming to consider.’
The family have provided consistent updates on Cooper’s heartbreaking situation since the shooting, and said he feels ‘hopeless, sad, and angry as the reality of his life is setting in.’
‘Cooper is in constant pain. It is agonizing to see,’ his family wrote. ‘He still has internal damage – wounds that are slow to heal.’
Cooper’s family said he is beginning to understand the reality of his new life as he undergoes grueling physical and occupational therapy, all while maneuvering around a number of life supporting tubes inserted into his body.
‘He’s beginning to ask things like, “What will I do at recess?”‘ his family wrote.
They said the ‘the mental and emotional anguish’ of his experience and the realizations of what he has lost are beginning to take a toll on the boy.
Due to the severity of his spinal cord injury, doctors have now confirmed that it is unlikely Cooper will ever walk again.
It was initially believed that Cooper had been shot in the chest, but doctors at Highland Park Hospital said that the bullet entered his abdomen.
‘The bullet entered his upper abdomen, injuring the left lobe of his liver, his esophagus near the stomach, his abdominal aorta and exited through his back injuring his spinal cord,’ doctors said.
The Roberts family posing for a group picture. Bottom left, twin brother Luke, Cooper right, dad Jason behind and mother Keely to the far right. His two older sisters are also seen
Cooper’s family shared this photo of him flashing a thumbs up from a wheelchair
Cooper bowls on a tabletop at the hospital as he relearns how to live following his paralysis
‘It is very hard to convince Cooper that he will be happy again,’ his family said, ‘He’s an eight-year-old boy who feels hopeless, sad and angry as the reality of his life is setting in.’
His family said they are sharing the stark depths of Cooper’s struggle to show the world what really happens to shooting victims.
‘There are layers upon layers of cruelty with being shot by a sniper. Most people don’t witness the grueling aftermath of surviving these devastating wounds, physical and emotional,’ they wrote.
Cooper’s twin brother, Luke, and his mother, Keely, were also wounded in the massacre, which left seven people dead and more than 40 wounded.
Luke was also hospitalized with shrapnel wounds in his lower body but was discharged after doctors removed some of the debris, although they were unable to remove it all.
Keely suffered gunshot wounds to her legs and feet and underwent at least two surgeries herself. The family said she was so distraught at Cooper’s condition that she insisted on being released from the hospital early – against doctors’ recommendations – to be with her son at the children’s hospital.
Cooper and twin brother Luke ‘loved the parade’ and had attended the event in the past. They are ‘best friends, partners-in-crime,’ their older sister said.
Victims of the Highland Park July Fourth shooting
Seven people were killed and over 40 wounded when Robert Crimo fired an AR-15 style rifle into the crowd at a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, just north of Chicago, Illinois.
The seven killed were:
Stephen Straus, 88 – Katherine Goldstein, 64 – Jacki Sundheim, 63 – Nicholas Toledo Zaragoza, 78 – Eduardo Uvaldo, 69 – husband and wife Irina and Kevin McCarthy, 35 and 37.
Irina and Kevin McCarthy, 35 and 37, were both killed in the massacre. Their two-year-old son, Aiden, was pulled from beneath his father’s body
Nicolas Toledo, 76, a grandfather who had been visiting from Mexico, and Jacki Sondheim, 63, a longtime staffer at North Shore Congregation Israel, were both killed in the massacre
Irina and Kevin McCarthy were the parents of a two-year-old boy, Aiden, who was orphaned by the shooting. The boy was pulled from beneath his father’s body by paradegoers.
Nicolas Toledo was the first victim to be identified. He was a grandfather from Mexico visiting his family in Highland Park. His family said his blood splattered over them when he was shot in the head as he sat in his wheelchair.
Toledo had not wanted to attend the parade, his granddaughter told the New York Times, but his family convinced him to attend with them.
Another victim, Jacki Sundheim, was a longtime teacher at the North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue. She is survived by her husband Bruce and daughter Leah, the Times of Israel reported.
‘There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki’s death,’ the synagogue said in a statement.
Katherine Goldstein (left) was among the people killed in the Highland Park parade mass shooting on July 4
Steve Straus, 88, (left) was among the seven people who were killed during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade massacre. Eduardo Uvaldo, 65, (right) died on Wednesday. Family said he had been shot in the arm and back of the head
Eduardo Uvaldo died several days after the shooting from gunshot wounds to the arm and head. His wife, Maria, was hit in the head by fragments and his grandson received a gunshot wound to the arm, but both recovered.
Victim Katherine Goldstein’s daughter, Cassie, described how her mother was shot in the chest and fell down dead in front of her.
‘He shot her in the chest, and she fell down. And I knew she was dead,’ Cassie told NBC Nightly News after the shooting, ‘So I just told her that I loved her, but I couldn’t stop because he was still shooting everyone next to me.’