Month: December 2025

By Andie Bernhardt

Click here for updates on this story

    MUSKEGO, Wisconsin (WDJT) — For Muskego parents Tyler and Erin Stoop, life is all about cherishing every moment with their children, Olivia and Liam.

“We want to make as many good memories with them together before Liv starts slowing down and isn’t able to play with him anymore,” said Stoop.

At just two years old, their six-year-old daughter Liv was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome. It’s a rare and terminal disease described as childhood Alzheimer’s.

“Our hearts were ripped out of our chests,” said Stoop. “It was something you never envisioned happening. You’ve already built your family in your mind on what you think is going to happen and you’re all going to grow old together and all of the sudden you are told that your child has an expiration date and it was the hardest day of my life.”

The Stoops say as Liv continues to grow, her abilities continue to regress. So, what were major milestones, like learning to walk and hearing her daughter say I love you are being taken away.

“I sometimes get memories on my phone, flashbacks of a year or two ago and I see regression or how far she’s stepped back from where she used to be and that’s really hard,” said Stoop.

Embracing every minute with the young girl they say is full of endless energy and love.

“Her giggle is so infectious and so yeah she just brings a lot of joy to our life,” said Stoop.

Right now, there is no FDA treatment or cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome, but this family is not giving up.

“We are hopeful that Liv will be potentially able to get medication at some point that will help slow things down.”

The Muskego community and beyond helping them turn their pain into progress.

“The community of Muskego came together, the school systems, churches, family, friends, strangers on the internet, everybody has contributed considerably,” said Stoop.

Now, after more than three years of fundraising, the family has helped raise more than half a million dollars. All of those funds go towards finding treatments and a cure.

“There’s definitely promising research on the horizon and our money along with a lot of other families that have raised money have helped fund a lot of these studies and a lot of these researchers,” said Stoop.

Liv’s impact goes beyond the fundraising. Spreading awareness through social media, this mother daughter duo has helped diagnose eight kids with Sanfilippo Syndrome or similar genetic disorders.

“I always say it’s like two totally different stories where I’m very proud of it because she’s helping others, but also she’s apart of somebodies worst day of their lives.”

Stoops posts sharing Liv’s journey, while connecting with other families going through a similar experience so they know they are not alone.

“I think that’s been a real motivation for us, that we are making a positive impact,” said Stoop. “You know even though this is in light of a very devastating diagnosis for our daughter.”

With a long road ahead ,they are holding onto hope.

“A lot of things have progressed since Liv’s diagnosis, so there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel, but there’s still a lot of work to be done and a lot of money to be raised.”

Continuing to do everything they can to help their daughter and other children with Sanfilippo Syndrome.

“We have to realize all of that isn’t going to happen overnight and if we take everything day by day and just love her as she is each day, we can make it to the next,” said Erin Stoop.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By A.J. Bayatpour

Click here for updates on this story

    PLATTEVILLE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Thanks to the research of two professors at UW-Platteville, there may truly be no reason to ever cry over spilled milk.

Chemistry Professor Joseph Wu and Mechanical Engineering Professor John Obielodan recently had a breakthrough in their efforts to use milk protein as a polymer 3D printers can use to create various molds.

Their research on the southwestern Wisconsin campus began before the COVID-19 pandemic when they were exploring whether different plant materials could be used to create plastics.

When the pandemic hit, they noticed farmers nearby had a problem: Milk demand had dried up, and much of the product was going to waste.

“Farmers’ dairy companies could not deliver the goods,” Obielodan said. “And they’re perishable.”

They found milk protein had the potential to give them the basics. As it curdled, the protein separated, and the solid part of the protein, casein, showed promised.

Still, it took lots of trial and error.

“We do it repeatedly, over and over, and I can’t really put a number on it,” Wu said. “Well, the first time is definitely not a success. It doesn’t extrude out very well.”

Wu suspected fats in the protein were mucking up the process. He used different solvents to separate the fats and settled on butanol; it worked well, and he found the smell to be more tolerable.

Sure enough, the fat-free protein worked much better. The protein can be converted into pellets or a powder that goes over to Obielodan’s engineering domain.

The protein extract is blended with other materials to make spools of filament.

“[We] feel such a relief because we are actually doing research into the unknown,” Wu said.

The development was enough to secure a U.S. patent for Wu and Obielodan earlier this year.

Still, they’re not satisfied. Wu said he’s still working to create a version of the protein that can be converted into plastic without being blended with other materials.

“There’s more chemistry that needs to be done,” he said. “If we can print directly from milk protein, that would be great. That’s actually one of our visions.”

While that research continues, Wu and Obielodan said their ultimate goal is to take their invention off campus.

“If we find an investor that is interested in buying the intellectual property rights, we will work with the person,” Obielodan said.

Wu said seeing their invention one day help shift an industry would mean a lot, but what matters most to him is having a great lesson he can now teach.

“Using this project to demonstrate knowledge is powerful,” he said. “We can actually use knowledge to help the community, and that is always close to my heart.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Marisa Sardonia

Click here for updates on this story

    CANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — A beloved Christmas tradition has returned to Canton after 30 years, carrying with it a timeless message for the season.

A sign featuring Tiny Tim from the iconic story “A Christmas Carol” now adorns the side of Wells Funeral Home, displaying the famous line, “God bless us everyone.” In “A Christmas Carol,” Tiny Tim’s character plays a crucial role in teaching Ebenezer Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas.

“I just thought, given the time of year that’s[…] happy, that this is a message we can share with everybody that comes by and sees our sign,” said Wells Greeley, funeral director at Wells Funeral Homes & Cremation Services. “I’m just really pleased that we’ve been able to resurrect this and offer it back to the community.”

The sign, which had been in storage for nearly three decades, invites residents to take photos and reflect on its message.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.