Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy shot during the Highland Park, Illinois shooting, is back home after a months-long battle in the hospital. The child was injured during the Highland Park Independence Day parade in a shooting that left seven people dead and dozens more injured. A bullet passed through Cooper’s upper abdomen and injured his spinal cord, esophagus and abdominal aorta, according to an earlier statement from his parents, Jason and Keely Roberts. After being placed on a ventilator, undergoing multiple surgeries and “ongoing daily rehabilitation” stemming from his injuries, Cooper was able to return home, the family said in a statement Thursday. “We are at a complete loss for words to express how grateful, loving and fulfilled we feel now that we can finally have Cooper back home,” the family’s statement read. “Being able to have Cooper home and our family back together is an amazing blessing. He’s able to live with his twin brother Luke again and continue to be one of the best each other’s teammates.” HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING SURVIVOR COOPER ROBERTS, 8, DISABLED FAN DURING SCIENCE INJURY: FAMILY Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy shot during the Highland Park, Illinois shooting, is back home after a months-long battle in the hospital. (Roberts Family) The family said at one point they were “desperately and feverishly praying for Cooper to live.” A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $2 million as of Thursday. Cooper has five siblings, a twin brother and four sisters, as well as a dog, and the family say it’s “special” to have them all reunited once more. This handout photo provided by the Roberts family shows Cooper Roberts who along with his twin brother and parents attended the 4th of July parade in Highland Park, IL. Cooper was hit in the chest by a hail of gunfire that left dozens more wounded and seven dead, said Tony Loizzi, a family spokesman. (The Roberts Family via AP) “Having our kids reunited as a sister unit and knowing they can be together whenever they need or want it is so special to us and to Cooper. They have held each other through so much during the most horrible time. They have seen, in a way they had never seen before, how much they enrich each other’s lives and how deep their love for each other is.” , the statement said. The family also acknowledged in the statement that Cooper has a “brutal and unfair road ahead of him.” ILLINOIS BOY PARALYZED IN HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING ‘STILL FIGHTING’ AFTER COLLAPSING LUNG, INFECTION: FAMILY Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy shot during the Highland Park, Illinois shooting, is back home after a months-long battle in the hospital. (Roberts Family) “The transition to dealing with Cooper’s extensive medical needs at home versus in a hospital or rehab clinic has been a huge learning curve for all of us. And now that he’s home, Cooper has to deal with the grief and sadness of recognizing all the things every day.” who lost,” the statement said. Cooper won’t be able to do many of the things he used to, such as sports, playing in the playground, riding his bike, and also can’t access “much of his house.” HIGHLAND PARK WEDNESDAY OF JULY VICTIMS IDENTIFIED: WHO WERE THEY? Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy shot during the Highland Park, Illinois shooting, is back home after a months-long battle in the hospital. (Roberts Family) “However, we choose to focus on what we have. Cooper is alive and at home and our sweet and wonderful athletic boy has decided he’s going to find new ways to play sports. To steal a line from a great country song (thank you, Kacey Musgraves), in a happy and sad moment, Cooper decided he would find new sports to play,” the statement read. According to Cooper’s parents, the 8-year-old decided to learn wheelchair tennis and “has already been to the tennis courts twice.” Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy shot during the Highland Park, Illinois shooting, is back home after a months-long battle in the hospital. (Roberts Family) Cooper’s parents said he has inspired them throughout this journey and said he is “tough as nails but incredibly loving”. “He cares more about the well-being of others than his own. He loves the world…and because of the love and prayers you all have sent him and continue to send, we believe he continues on a path of healing. Please continue to pray for our sweet baby boy…we know he will show the world that love really does win in the end,” the parents wrote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Robert Crimmo, 22, was arrested and charged with seven counts of murder, among other charges, after the shooting. There was an hours-long manhunt for Crimo after the shooting. Stephen Strauss, 88; Edwardo Uvaldo, 69; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35, Jackie Sundheim, 63; and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, are among those killed in the shooting Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
