A minor eye injury turns into a medical crisis
What started as a minor injury quickly became a nightmare.
“We thought it was just a cut,” said Cooper’s mom, Jennifer. “But it got very bad. The eye started to fog over and look white. Eventually, physicians at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center diagnosed it as a parasite in his eye. By six months, it started getting worse and so he started taking a pill and it was pushing out the parasite.”
Through constant doctor visits, light sensitivity and unbearable headaches, Cooper’s life slowed to a halt. He had to leave school for a period of time. He stopped playing basketball. He stopped smiling.
The emotional toll of vision loss
“His personality even changed quite a bit during that time,” Jennifer said. “He was very down, which is understandable. It was so helpless. I wanted it to get better, and it just wasn't.”
Cooper tried to stay positive, but the physical and emotional toll weighed heavily.
“I was just trying to get through, I didn't really ever feel like I was going to lose my eye,” Cooper said. “But at the same time, I think I was definitely suppressing that fear. I tried to stay positive as much as I could. But there were days where I couldn't stay positive anymore and I would break down. With the headaches and stuff, it was really hard to stay positive.”
Emergency surgery brings new hope
After six months of fighting the parasite, Cooper’s condition worsened. His cornea perforated and doctors had to act fast. In November 2024, he underwent an emergency full-thickness cornea transplant at U-M Kellogg Eye Center.
“I was nervous,” Cooper said. “They were taking out my entire cornea, and the eye was so sick. But everyone at Michigan was super nice. When I woke up [from surgery], I felt like a whole burden was off my back. Like with the parasite I didn't really feel it at the time, but after my surgery, it was totally different. It was like my body was relaxed finally.”
Rediscovering joy after transplant
The transplant changed everything. Slowly, Cooper began to recover. The intense light sensitivity faded. The headaches eased. He could see again—first in small glimpses through an eye patch, and eventually enough to return to school and sports, but not without its challenges.
Most importantly, Cooper started smiling again.
“I feel like I'm a whole different person than how I was,” Cooper said. “My attitude and how I live life now compared to when I was sick, is totally different. My personality came back. I hadn't smiled or laughed or told any jokes in six months. I definitely thank the donor family for giving my personality back and getting that sight back as much as possible.”
A new normal on & off the court
His vision today is about 30 to 40 percent in that eye—an incredible leap from total blindness before the transplant. But Cooper’s journey isn’t over. Due to the damage from the parasite and a later viral infection, he will need another cornea transplant in the fall.
“You'd think you'd be able to shoot, dribble and catch the same, but you lose depth perception,” Cooper said. “It's like trying to catch with one eye open. It messed up a lot of things. I had to relearn how to catch and shoot. Playing basketball still doesn't feel the same. I'm hoping that in this next surgery I get the sight back and then it would be even better.”
Gratitude for the gift of sight
Still, Cooper is grateful for every step forward.
“Being in my situation right now, even if I didn’t get another surgery, it’s still a gift,” Cooper said.
Jennifer agrees. For her, the transplant represented not just healing, but hope.
“It may seem like a small thing to someone else, to donate your cornea, but it's not. It’s huge,” she said. “We're really grateful that people were willing to do that.”
Despite the setbacks, Cooper is back on the basketball court. Though he missed part of the season, being able to play at all felt like a miracle.
“I was sad about that, but just being able to play any of my season was a gift,” he said. “I thought I played pretty well in the season, so being able to get back and play––I'm really grateful for that. I feel like I'm not as good as I can be. I feel like I need to get better for the person that gave me this cornea.”
As the Boike family looks ahead to Cooper’s next transplant, they’re holding on to gratitude and appreciation—for medical care, for each other and most of all, for the donor whose gift made Cooper’s healing possible.
“God has healed him using this cornea,” Jennifer said. “It’s amazing to see.”
