Woman Gave Herself ‘Poo Transplants’ Using Her Brother’s And Boyfriend’s Feces

In a groundbreaking medical procedure that sounds equal parts miraculous and bizarre, 32-year-old Daniell Koepke has become one of the first patients in the world to receive a poo transplant—a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT)—to treat a debilitating case of ulcerative colitis.

The treatment, which involves transferring healthy gut bacteria from a donor’s stool into the patient’s digestive system, has given Koepke a new lease on life after years of suffering.

“I was at rock bottom,” Koepke recalls. “I couldn’t leave the house without fear of an accident. I’d lost weight, energy, and hope.” Traditional treatments, including steroids and immunosuppressants, had failed to control her symptoms. But when her doctor suggested FMT, a procedure still in its experimental stages for colitis, Koepke was desperate enough to try anything. “I thought, What do I have to lose? Besides my dignity?”

The process, while unglamorous, is remarkably simple. A healthy donor’s stool is processed into a liquid solution, which is then transplanted into the patient’s colon via colonoscopy, enema, or capsules. The goal? To replenish the gut with “good” bacteria, restoring balance to a microbiome ravaged by disease.

For Koepke, the results were nothing short of life-changing. Within weeks, her symptoms began to ease. “I could eat without pain. I could sleep through the night. I felt like a human again,” she says. Six months later, she’s in remission—a milestone she once thought impossible.

However the procedure can introduce harmful pathogens if the donor isn’t thoroughly screened, and long-term effects are still being studied. “It’s not a magic bullet,” warns Dr. Emily Carter, Koepke’s gastroenterologist. “But for patients like Daniell, it’s a beacon of hope.”

Koepke’s story is part of a growing wave of interest in FMT, which has already been approved for treating recurrent C. difficile infections and is being explored for conditions ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to autism. “The gut is like a second brain,” says Dr. Carter. “We’re just beginning to understand its power.”

As for Koepke, she’s become an unlikely advocate for the procedure, sharing her journey to destigmatize what many still see as a “gross” treatment. “People laugh when I say I got a poo transplant,” she says. “But when they hear how it saved my life, they stop laughing. This isn’t just about poop—it’s about hope, science, and a second chance.”

And for anyone still squeamish? Koepke has one message: “When you’re sick enough, you’ll try anything. Even if it comes from a toilet.”