Jordan Love surprises Muskego family
MUSKEGO, Wis. - His star is rising on the field, but a Muskego family wants you to see how generous Jordan Love is off the field.
Last week, before the Green Bay Packers left for Dallas, love tried helping a driver stuck in a snowbank. Not long before that, when he could have just focused on the field, Love sent a message to this family.
That's made them love him even more.
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Tyler, Erin and Olivia Stoop
If there's one thing the Stoop family can count on, it's making sure moments like these are memories.
Almost two years ago, doctors diagnosed four-year-old Olivia Stoop with Sanfilippo syndrome. The rare genetic disorder is similar to Alzheimer's for kids and has no cure.
"You're in a waiting game to save your daughter's life, and there's nothing you can do about it," her father, Tyler Stoop said. "And that's … it's hard."
Olivia Stoop will eventually lose the skills she's learned, like walking, talking and eating.
"On a daily basis, we're grasping for hope," her father said. "We have to focus on the happy things."
For Tyler and Erin Stoop, the Packers are one of those happy things. So a belated Christmas gift from Tyler’s brother didn’t just catch them by surprise.
It warmed their hearts too.
"She might not fully understand the gravity of how cool that is, but we do, and that's very special," Erin Stoop said.
Love signed his name, his number and a simple message: stay strong.
"He did something really special for a family during the midst of playoff season, when he probably had some things that were a little bit higher priority," she said.
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It made forever fans of a team, this year considered a long shot, whose hopes for a miracle in their own right, go all the way.
This wasn't the product of a standard autograph session. It all happened through a friend, of a friend, of a friend connection.
The family has a GoFundMe set up for Olivia.
Since 2022, the Stoops have helped raise more than $400,000 for Sanfilippo syndrome research.