When Maddison was 10 she was playing next to a treadmill when her hand was sucked underneath and trapped until her grandfather was able to lift the treadmill off her. The result was a terrible hand burn and Maddie’s parents sought care at Shriners Children’s Boston.
After her injury, Maddie was concerned about her ability to play sports and enjoy her favorite activities. Her doctor, Robert L. Sheridan, M.D., chief of the burn service, explained that treadmill injuries are very complicated because of the damage to the bone and the small blood vessels in the impacted area. In Maddie’s case, the care team decided not to operate, but rather treated her injury with rehabilitation and scar management. Maddie was thrilled that she was able to return to her busy active life without any limitations.
Maddie has a giving heart; her positivity and compassion for others shine through in all she does. With gratitude for the specialized care she received at Shriners Children’s Boston, she acted on her desire to give back. She founded her own nonprofit called Brave Bees, an organization that aims to spread kindness through her school and community. One of the goals of Brave Bees is to “create kindness colonies, one school at a time.” Maddie also collects tubs full of can tabs to donate back to Shriners Children’s Boston. The tabs can be cashed in and the funds help support patients and families. If you would like to learn more about Maddison’s platform, you can visit the Brave Bees website.
We recently checked in with Maddie to see what she has been up to since we last heard from her. Now 13, she has never stopped doing what she loves, and always with a smile on her face.
Hello Maddie! What are you up to these days?
After a lot of hard work, I recently won the title of 2022 Miss Maine Young Teen Young American Woman of Service. At the pageant, I earned a Bronze Presidential Service award for all the volunteer work I have done with my non-profit organization, Brave Bees. In July I will be competing at the national pageant.
I started competition cheer for the first time, and it is so much fun. I’ve learned how to do stunts, fun routines and the best part of all is I get to be with my friends.
For Christmas we got a kitten named Louie, and moved into our new house. I got to see what my bedroom looked like before it even had walls. Our house overlooks a big cornfield, so we’re able to see a lot of wildlife. At nighttime if we turn on our outside lights, we can see deer at our bird feeders.
Community outreach and philanthropy seem to be central to who you are. What can you tell us about your activities?
My goal is to spread kindness, which is why I made security blankets with my Memere (grandmother) to bring to Shriners [Children's] for some of the burn patients. I hope that during their procedures, these small blankets can give them something warm, soft, and comforting to hold that will help ease their fears. I still collect can tabs; now all of my family and friends save their tabs too. I was given a large donation from a popular store in our area that has been collecting on my behalf. I didn’t think it was possible to collect so many can tabs! It took a long time, but it is worth it to support Shriners.
Why is service and supporting Shriners Children’s so important to you?
It is important to me because of my experience at Shriners. We went to doctors in Maine hoping they could help, but none of them felt comfortable enough to take on the long journey to help me recover. At Shriners Children’s, they made sure I was comfortable and happy. They gave me games to play and made sure I understood everything they were saying, which was really important to me. The recovery process was long and sometimes we drove to Boston four times a week, but Shriners has made me the person I am today. If it wasn’t for Dr. Sheridan and the Shriners team, I could have lost my fingers completely. Now, I just have scars to remind me that even when it seems like the world could not get any worse, there is always someone there to help.
