Madison was a twin to her sister Morgan Brooke. Over time we noticed that Madison could not keep up with her sister and was not meeting her expected milestones. She had severe hearing loss, required cranial molding, suffered from hypotonia and had lower body Cerebral Palsy. After undergoing extensive testing and numerous visits to specialists, Madison remained undiagnosed & therefore was considered "medically complex". Being undiagnosed & developmentally delayed caused many issues with insurance coverage and qualifying for treatments was extremely challenging at times. Madison spent most of her short life in and out of hospitals in order to receive the treatment and support she needed. Madison made progress at her own pace but always in the right direction. In September 2014, Madison was admitted to the ICU at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital. Her body developed what seemed to be a virus that shut her liver down.  Multiple tests were run but they could not identify the cause. Additional internal organs continued to slowly shut down one by one until she passed away a week later after putting up a courageous fight. Madison was only a few months shy of her 5th birthday. Madison was a special child that touched every person's heart that ever met her. She had an amazing personality and an unforgettable smile.
 

During Maddy’s short life she required multiple therapies and treatments, most of these treatments were received at Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. Since Maddy passed away in September 2014 her family have raised over $15,000 in her name, which has been donated to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital to help to pay for equipment which assists providing crucial therapies and treatments to children who have similar needs to those Madison had.

 Maddy truly touched the heart of every person she met, be it family, friends or the caregivers she regularly saw at the Hospital. The Madison 'Maddy' Flaherty's mission to help foundation aims to keep her legacy alive by helping to raise the necessary funds to assist the Hospital in securing the equipment necessary to keep providing the necessary services to children with similar needs, and touch the lives of those children and their families with the positive influence she had on everyone in her short life.