MILWAUKEE — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from making large cuts to medical research funding on Wednesday. It’s just a temporary pause.
This comes weeks after the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it could lose $65 million under a new federal effort to cut down on medical research costs, according to court documents filed Monday.
Some of the university’s largest medical research programs aim to treat Alzheimer’s disease and discover cures to cancer.
The lack of research on Alzheimer’s is worrisome for people like Ben Koenigs. He believes research is vital to find a cure for the devastating disease.
"If someone doesn't have to deal with what I have had to deal with for so long, then awesome,” Koenigs said.
It's been a tough decade for his family. They've watched his dad, Bernie, slowly suffer from Alzheimer's.
TMJ4’s Megan Lee asked Koenigs what it’s like to have his dad physically here but mentally fading.
Koenigs said, “I mean it's hard."
They moved his dad to a nursing home as his memory started to decline.
"Watching my dad suffer for like ten years with this is making me a little bit stronger but not all the time and it never gets easier really,” Koenigs said.
He isn't alone in this scary reality. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 120,000 people in Wisconsin had Alzheimer’s in 2020. That number is expected to grow this year.
"What's scary is like it was my grandpa on my mom's side and then now it's my dad, so it's like oh boy it's coming for me," Koenigs said.
Watch: Milwaukee caregiver worried over potential Alzheimer’s federal research cuts
The Alzheimer's Association says nearly 7 million Americans are living with the disease and research must continue. Especially at research centers like the one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"I don't see any reason why it should be stopped at all, it doesn't make too much sense to me,” Koenigs said.
The Alzheimer's Association said cuts and changes from the National Institutes of Health will be far reaching.
"I don't know why you wouldn't want to try make people live as long as possible, as comfortable as possible with the right resources,” Koenigs said.
Koenigs wants to prevent the next family from watching their loved ones fade away.
"Unfortunately, it might be too late for my father, but like anything that could help with the next person that might be struggling with this stuff,” Koenigs said.
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