Family of Morgan Academy fifth grader raising funds to pay for visits to medical specialists in Cincinnati

Ten-year-old Emma Kate Cooper always has a smile on her face. She is energetic and loves to play sports at school. She will be going into the fifth grade at Morgan Academy when school starts back in the fall.   

It’s hard to see from the outside, but Emma Kate’s mom, Lori Cooper, said Emma Kate “is such a warrior. She has overcome so much.”  

Emma Kate was born premature at 30 weeks and spent her first two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As she grew, her family noticed Emma Kate was having problems going to the bathroom, and when she was 5, doctors discovered she has no function in her colon. They placed a small tube in her belly to alleviate pressure and help Emma Kate go to the bathroom.   

Lori said Emma Kate has spent a lot of time in the hospital. “Starting at 3 years old, she was in and out of the hospital every three months,” Cooper said. “At 5 years old, as a kindergartner, she received her Appendicostomy Chait, the tube in her belly, and since then we have been in and out of the hospital with appointments. She’s referred to multiple different specialists due to high blood pressure, kidney function and much more. So far, she has had eight surgeries.”   

Birmingham Children’s Hospital referred the Coopers to Cincinnati Children's Hospital because they are the leading hospital for children with gastrointestinal issues. Lori said they have been great and have helped Emma Kate tremendously. Emma Kate is in currently Cincinnati where they are strengthening her muscles with physical therapy “to try to wake her colon up.”   

With so much time spent in the hospital, medical bills are piling up, and the family could use some help. “We’ve gotten a lot of donations,” Lori said. “We have a lot of support. We had some people donate when we could not get into Ronald McDonald House.” An event raised $5,000. Emma Kate and her friends at school collected a record 300 pounds of pop tops off aluminum cans for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Cincinnati. That was 487,480 tops. Emma Kate got $1 a pound.   

But the Coopers could still use some help. If you want to donate to the Coopers, you can reach out to them on Facebook or donate on Venmo. Lori made shirts that say “Hope, Support, Love and Prayers for Emma Kate Cooper.” Lori said the shirts are available through Bonfire on this website; www.bonfire.com/help-emma-kate-with-love-and-support160.   

And she asks if everyone would keep Emma Kate and the family in their prayers.