UPDATE: After a brutal week of BK virus complications, Kooper receives experimental T-cells and prepares for a critical bone marrow biopsy

Kooper is still fighting.

If you have been following his story, you already know the latest threat has been BK virus. There is no standard treatment that simply wipes it out. Most people carry the virus without trouble. Kooper does not have the defenses to keep it in check, so it has been attacking his bladder.

Last Saturday he seemed to be turning a corner. He had gone two or three days without passing blood clots. Saturday night a small clot appeared. By Sunday the urine was bloody again and more clots followed. Around 3 a.m. Monday, one clot would not pass. The pain lasted until about 10 that morning, when he finally passed it. Family members described the clot as roughly the size of a palm. Sitting through those hours, they said, was one of the hardest parts of the week.

A urologist told the family the pain is real, but Kooper’s body should eventually fight the virus down. To speed that process, he received donor T-cells on Tuesday. The cells have been adapted to target BK virus. Doctors say it can take 7 to 10 days before they begin to work. Until then, he has to endure the storm.

The week was not only medical. Over the weekend his grandmother and aunt visited — the first time the family had seen them since leaving for Cincinnati in April. Relatives said they will not forget the grin on Kooper’s face when the two women walked through the door. In the excitement, they forgot to take pictures. The visit, they said, was badly needed.

Right now he is making it. It has not been easy. The BK virus has taken a toll and has not let go.

A bone marrow biopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning. That test will show how the transplant is doing. The family is asking for prayer. Kooper has a lot stacked against him and is having a rough time.

Source: Family update dated September 7, 2026.