Ankeny boy who spent 456 days in hospital, 2 years after transplant, ‘very healthy’

Cooper Schmidt spent the first 456 days of his life at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.After her successful kidney transplant, several members of Cooper’s care team We celebrated his discharge from the hospital with music and bubbles. He plans to visit Ankeny’s home for the first time in March 2022.

Known as “Super Cooper,” he will turn 3 years old in December 2023 and recently celebrated his two-year anniversary since his transplant. His mother, Maddie Schmidt, said the toddler is doing “very well.”

Cooper was born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). ARPKD is a condition in which cysts develop in the kidneys, causing them to enlarge significantly and become almost non-functional. Surgeons ultimately had to remove both of Cooper’s kidneys to make room for his other organs to grow.

About six months later, a living donor came forward to donate one of his kidneys. Cooper received a new kidney on February 7, 2022, with the help of the pediatric kidney transplant team at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, the only hospital in Iowa.