This year at Grotonfest, a long-time Groton family hosted a Bake Sale for their great nephew, who desperately needs a kidney transplant. Damien and Kerry Madden moved to town in 1992, hoping to raise their own family. Over the years, they have been involved in the town through the Mountain Lakes Club, Groton Newcomers Club, Squannacook River Runners, and volunteering in their children’s activities in the Groton Dunstable Regional School District.

Damien and Kerry, along with their daughter Katy and Kerry’s mother, Loraine Clark, teamed up with Hank’s grandparents to host a bake sale for Hank at Grotonfest. The table boasted Pumpkin Whoopies, Blueberry Coffee cake, and warm chocolate chip cookies baked by Loraine throughout the day. They also received generous donations of baked goods from Groton residents,  bread from Mangi’s Bakery in Vermont, and whimsical “kidney” cookies and gourmet cookies from RCK’s Cookie Jar.

Hank is the son of Damien’s niece, Anika (Madden), and her husband, Rob Roy of Gardner, MA. Anika enjoyed many childhood events in Groton, including sleepovers at Uncle Damien and Aunt Kerry’s house and the Tot Trot at the Groton Road Race.  One of the family’s favorite memories of this event is when Anika, who won her age group, almost passed the pacer!

Anika and Rob were married on Aug 20. 2020 and were excited to start a family of their own.
The couple experienced a normal pregnancy until the 9th month when doctors were concerned about a lack of amniotic fluid.  They were surprised when circumstances took a dramatic turn upon the birth of their son. Hank was born in May 2022 and was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Boston, where he was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder, Denys Drash Syndrome or DDS, which caused him to have kidney failure at birth.  Only 150 cases have ever been reported in medical literature.

With the help of BCH, Hank was on dialysis at 10 days old, and after an extended hospital stay, he was discharged with the ability to do dialysis at home daily. This process takes 12 hours per day, which is exhausting for Rob and Anika to maintain.  At 11 months, they removed his kidneys completely to prevent kidney cancer, another high risk of this rare disorder. 
With the help of his excellent care team, a loving family, and a lot of luck, he’s on track to have a kidney transplant!  The operation will eliminate the need for daily dialysis and transform their lives.

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association has been a critical piece in helping Hank’s family, friends, and community raise funds to help him receive his kidney transplant and a lifetime of transplant-related care.

The Madden’s have been a part of this effort since day one. Kerry garnered sponsors for her Triathlon for COTA for Hank. The whole family helped with a fundraising Golf Tournament in which Damien and his team golfed, Bee (the couple’s eldest) MC’d the event, and Katy (the couple’s youngest) volunteered.

They wish to extend their most sincere thanks to the Grotonfest team and attendees for supporting the bake sale, which was a huge success for COTA for Hank. The stories of organ transplant successes from supporters who visited their booth warmed their hearts. Donors’ generosity will significantly impact the goal of $75,000 needed for the first phase of Hank’s care.

You can learn more about COTA and Hank’s journey

at www.cotaforhank.com (http://www.cotaforhank.com/)

“The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.”