In 2023, Madden had just started high school and was enjoying hanging out with friends and playing basketball, serving as point guard and shooting guard on a competitive team. When he began experiencing leg pain, at first, he wasn’t worried. As an athlete, he was used to aches and minor injuries. 

But the pain lingered. When Madden went to see a doctor, an X-ray revealed a mysterious mass. “I remember how I felt when they told us what it possibly could be,” says Madden’s mother, Stella. “I honestly felt like I was going to pass out.” 

An MRI confirmed Madden had cancer. “This was the first week of high school,” Madden says. “I had to leave school a ton to go to doctors' appointments.” Over the next nine months, he fell into a pattern—three weeks at UCSF Children’s Hospital receiving chemotherapy, then a week at home recovering. 

It was a frightening, disruptive time for the family. Stella and Jackson, Madden’s dad, essentially set up camp at the hospital, which meant Madden’s older sister, Kaeli, often didn’t have her parents around. “We had to have her stay with friends or have family come and stay with her and take her to school,” Stella says. 

True to his nature, Madden remained upbeat during the ordeal. “The nurses all loved Madden, because he has a personality that is just so chill,” Stella says. “He always has a smile on his face, and he just takes things as they come.” 

While Madden couldn’t play basketball, his coaches made him an assistant coach so he could still be a part of the team. "Basketball has always been a big part of his life," Stella says. "His friends and his coaches have all been super supportive this entire time." 

Soon after he underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor in his leg, Madden learned he would receive a wish. “I was really excited,” he says. 

During long days in the hospital, Madden spent time watching videos on his phone, where he discovered Icon of the Seas, a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship and one of the largest in the world. “I watched videos of people vlogging their life on the cruise,” he says. “I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I really want to go on that. The food and all the different activities looked really appealing to me.’” 

So, Madden wished to go on a cruise to The Bahamas with his family aboard Icon of the Seas. “My wish was definitely something I looked forward to,” he says. 

“It was motivation for him to get better," Stella adds. "This is something we had to look forward to." 

On the day of his wish reveal, Madden and his family were taking a ferry from Alameda to San Francisco when he noticed something out of the ordinary. “I was really surprised," he recalls with a laugh. "I’m inside, and I see the Make-A-Wish team outside, holding signs. They were like, ‘Madden, your wish is coming true!’ And I was like, ‘What's happening now?’” 

In July 2025, Madden and his family embarked on a seven-day cruise to The Bahamas aboard Icon of the Seas. “Obviously I watched the videos and everything, but actually being there was pretty surreal,” Madden says. 

He loved the basketball court, the escape room, and the all-you-can-eat dining. The family also got a behind-the-scenes tour of the entire ship and met the captain. Madden also met Rover, a golden retriever who serves as the ship’s "Chief Dog Officer." 

“Just to see how he was enjoying it,” Stella recalls, smiling. “When we walked in, he was just like, ‘Wow, this, wow, that.’ It was so special." 

They played mini golf and explored CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island, complete with a Thrill Waterpark, volleyball and beachside basketball, and more.

The ship’s Teen Club made it easy to meet kids Madden’s age. “I was kind of nervous at first, but then I said hi to one person, and we really hit it off,” he says. “We just went around, talking to other people, and then I made a good group of friends.” 

After spending the afternoon whooshing down the waterslides, Madden would join his family for on-board shows. “The biggest treat for us was getting the royal treatment,” Stella says. “We had two dedicated people helping us. They would coordinate shows for us and put us in a section where the best views were, reserved just for our family.” 

They saw an acrobatic water show, an ice-skating spectacular, and the Broadway musical The Wizard of Oz. “We met the whole cast,” Madden says. “It was pretty cool.” 

Today, Madden is a healthy 16-year-old, working his way back to playing basketball again. He still keeps in touch with his cruise ship friends. “We text a lot,” he says. “I’m probably going to play video games with them this weekend. One is from Nebraska, two are from Florida, one’s from Canada.” 

For Stella, those friendships are just one example of the lasting impact of Madden's wish. “Make-A-Wish gives families and patients hope, just to be able to focus on something that is going to happen for them,” Stella says. “And when it does happen, it will stay with you forever. It’s something that you’ll remember for a lifetime." 

Madden often thinks back to his week aboard Icon of the Seas. “I’m like, dang, I really want to go back on the cruise and just experience it all over again,” he says. “It made me look forward to the end of my treatment a lot more. Words can’t even describe how thankful I am for that.”