This giveaway was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Aflac. I was compensated to participate in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.
While my topic for this post totally sucks, it seems to have effected all of us in some way. But, I am going to take this time to talk about what we can do to make it better. What is this topic? Cancer! Yes, I know it is an ugly word and one nobody wants to hear, but the only way to make a difference is to raise awareness,
so here we go!
Recently, Aflac, started a new campaign called #duckprints to raise awareness and donations to aid in the fight against childhood cancer. To do this, Aflac will be using a variety of social media activities all focused around #duckprints. This May, Aflac will donate $2 to the Aflac Cancer Center for every post or tweet of former Aflac Cancer Center patient Trisha Henry Gaffney’s inspiring story using #Duckprints. And, the more it is tweeted and facebooked, the more money will be donated. For every time #duckprints is sent out into the wide web, between now and Sunday May 11th, Aflac will be donating!
Here is Trisha’s inspiring story: On Valentine’s Day 1996, 19-year-old Trisha was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive tumor usually found in the head, neck, hands or feet of young children. Trisha’s was the first reported case to occur in the right ureter, the tube connecting the kidney and bladder. After going through surgery to remove her right kidney, ureter and a portion of her bladder, Trisha spent a year at the Aflac Cancer Center undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Following her treatment for this rare form of cancer, Trisha Henry Gaffney was eager to put her health problems behind her. Trisha was eager to get back to school, and in January 1997, she went back to Illinois ? where she was a student and scholarship swimmer at the University of Illinois ? to finish the last few months of chemotherapy. During her treatment at the Aflac Cancer Center, Trisha had started dating Andrew Gaffney, a fellow swimmer from high school. In addition, she became a journalism major with the goal of focusing her energy on telling others’ inspirational stories of overcoming obstacles. In 1998, a friend encouraged Trisha to visit the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer Center. However, the idea of going to even more doctors didn’t sit well with Trisha. After several years of going to general doctors for check-ups, Trisha finally made an appointment with the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer Center. “After college, I devoted myself to my work and being normal,” Trisha said. “I put cancer behind me. Then it reared its ugly head at 32.” During her first appointment at the Cancer Survivor Program, Trisha received her health records. She was able to gain a broad understanding of her entire health history, including her treatments and the issues they could cause, called late effects. fter meeting with the Medical Director, Trisha went to a fertility specialist, who delivered some devastating news. The lab work showed Trisha’s chemotherapy and 23 radiation treatments had wreaked havoc on her body. Only one ovary was functional, and the radiation had damaged her uterus; she was approaching an early menopause, and she would not be able to carry a child. “It’s devastating when you can’t have a family,” Trisha said. “I froze my eggs that year. I thought, ‘Screw you, cancer! I want my own kid.’” After her sister’s best friend offered to be a surrogate, Trisha and Andrew, now her husband, became parents to Isabella in April 2013. Isabella just celebrated her first birthday, and this Mother’s Day will mark Trisha’s second, thanks to the Aflac Cancer Center and its programs. The impact of the Aflac Cancer Center isn’t lost on Trisha. Without the intervention of doctors and nurses in her health, her life would be incredibly different. “If I hadn’t had my friend telling me to go to the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer Center,” Trisha said, “I wouldn’t have my daughter.”
In case you haven’t heard about the Aflac Cancer Center, here is some background. The Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the largest childhood cancer centers in the country. This Center is committed to providing childhood cancer patients a brighter future through advanced medical treatment, family-centered care, a child-friendly environment and innovative research. Aflac is proud to have donated more than $87 million to the Aflac Cancer Center, with the goal of reaching $100 million by the end of 2015!
So you know all about the adorable Duck, but what do you know about the brand behind him? Aflac is the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States. Aflac differs from health insurance, because it’s insurance for daily living. They pay cash benefits quickly and directly to you to help with daily expenses when you’re sick or hurt and the benefits are pre-determined and paid regardless of any other insurance you have.
To learn more, be sure to visit the Aflac DuckPrints Site, or to stay social with Aflac, be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
To help you celebrate Mother’s Day, Aflac is offering one lucky reader a chance to win a $50 Restaurant.com gift card!! For your chance to win, just follow the Rafflecopter rules below.
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