HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts who was paralyzed from the July 4th shooting is now back to school, after months of rehabilitation and transitioning.

Despite returning to school to start third grade, he remains in therapy each week and is still undergoing a slow and gradual process to recovery, according to a report from the Roberts family.

“It’s incredible milestone for a little boy who almost three months to the day of his first day of third grade had been desperately fighting for his life from critical gunshot wounds and is now wheelchair bound,” according to a report from the Roberts family.

The family shared a mix of emotions from celebrating a milestone for the eight-year-old starting a new school year to remembering the trauma they’ve gone through the past few months.

Cooper is also recognizing he won’t be able to socialize and participate in activities he once loved, like hang on the monkey bars, slide down the slide and kick the ball, the family statement said.

He came home from his first day saying, “If I had not been shot, paralyzed, and had to be in a wheelchair, it would have been a perfect school day, but it was a really great day!  I loved it,” according to the family’s statement.

Nonetheless, the family says the journey they are on, is an uphill one.