Definitely. Thank you for sharing.

My heart hurts so much for them. 😔

Precious boy.

DH and I have been following, of course and most mornings the first thing I look at now is HP Patch. That poor child - I can't even imagine. We will continue praying.

Just awful, poor guy. He is my prayers.

Praying for this sweet child and his family. How devastating to see what appeared to be an improvement, and now this.

This makes me sick to my stomach. I can't even imagine the pain for his family. I had only read headlines, but reading the article just kicks you in the gut. This poor innocent boy and his family.

Praying for this sweet boy & his family....same age as my dgd. His & their lives are forever changed, aren't they? Sometimes I feel like swift & clear punishment like portrayed in old westerns was preferable for perpetrators of a heinous nonsensicle act like this...seriously!

Dear God, I had no idea there was a child involved. I prayed and will keep doing so.

Cooper is an angel on earth and I will pray for him. He melts my heart.

So sad.

Yes, Maddie.

I must have said the wrong thing…I did not remove my post.

Oakley, I’m going to add another child, Jamie, to the list. She is 14 and was hit in the chest. She will thankfully recover over the course of several weeks, hopefully before she starts at high school next month, and in the meantime her mother, who is a friend of my neighbor (who has a daughter the same age) has to take time off from her hourly job to tend to her at home.

Heartbreaking. Prayers for strength and recovery. . 🙏

So sad, he is in my thoughts and prayers.

There is so much that can cause catastrophic issues for a child such as congenital problems, illness, etc....why oh why does someone need to inflict it? I have such a heart for kids & it really causes me such angst to see his sweet face above & know how much suffering he and his family are now enduring. As a nurse, I loved Pediatrics until I had kids of my own....then it became too emotional for me.

And lizzie, I think of the medical issues that will continue to plague him throughout his life, now. And the distress imposed on his twin brother, and sisters. His mother, as a school superintendent in a challenging district, will have a whole new perspective. Bullet wounds among students is not unknown in that city several miles north of the parade, but rare in children that young.

We pray within the sanctuary of our hearts, We act with our bodies. The mind is present with both.

Praying for both of them and others. It's so heartbreaking.

I am so saddened to read this update. At least it seems there is a good support network around the family.

Praying for both of them and others.

Words fail, but yes.

And hence why he was flown from the hospital where she works, to Children’s. First, of course, he had be transferred to an ambulance, driven two miles to the helicopter site, flown 50 miles from the north suburbs to the children’s hospital (if I have the right children’s hospital for him), then rolled to their emergency room. By that time, they would have a team in place for him. (We watched the helicopter on flight radar, but lost it as we watched the other aircraft.) Without his mama, who was undergoing surgery herself back at the first hospital.

The doctors and nurses have been through so much.

I was thinking about him, thank you for the update. That brave little boy has the biggest heart and sweetest smile. He has a long road ahead.

I was in Highland Park last week, and there were signs of "Highland Park Strong" in nearly every yard and business. I hope Cooper and his family feel the love and support from their wonderful community.

The arraignment was today. 48 charges, I think, “not guilty” plea to all of them. The county had to issue rules of decorum to people thinking they could come to the courthouse.

The arraignment makes me sad, but I am happy Cooper was able to be discharged and start a new chapter in his recovery. I saw news headlines, but we were busy packing DS and driving and I have not been reading any more than headlines the last week or two. I didn't realize it was Cooper who was discharged. I hope his progress is smooth and swift.

His state senator is organizing a card drive with his family’s blessings. Send a card to Cooper!

School is starting. But not for Cooper yet. He has a lot else to learn before he can go to school with his friends and brother.

“Most people don’t witness the grueling aftermath”

Thanks for posting the update, bpath. It is just heartbreaking that a child is going through this.

Heartbreaking...so often the news only talks about those killed vs. survivors and fails to account for the pain and suffering, not just of the survivors, but all those whose lives are disrupted as the survivor struggles to recover and to heal to whatever that "new normal" will be for them.

From another update. On top of it all, the family has to move, probably twice, to a home that can accommodate Cooper’s needs as well as the other children, and hopefully not have to move schools.

• Cooper also remains under the care of physicians at University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. He will be transported back there this week via ambulance so surgeons can check on his healing from previous surgeries, including a heart graft and esophageal tear repairs.
• Both Cooper and Luke are participating in private counseling and other mental health services to support their healing from the emotional and psychological trauma of the shooting. Cooper is experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, including flashbacks that are disrupting his sleep.
• The Roberts family is seeking short-term rental housing that is ADA accessible for when Cooper can return home. They must explore options for long-term housing for their large family as the Roberts’ 100-year-old home in Highland Park cannot be reconfigured to accommodate his rehabilitation needs for home-based therapies. They also need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to support their ability to transport Cooper daily once released from inpatient care.

Ida, and the real cost will only grow over the next 60 years. With the extent of the injuries, this child faces a lifetime of medical interventions and invasions.

No words. Just the awful feeling of impotence in the face of this continued assault on Americans. So many children have paid a terrible price for our incompetence. Watching the details of this one child's lifetime ordeal unfold is horrifying.