Aflac Celebrates Kids Like Chloe during #ChildrensHospitalsWeek

Aflac is joining CMN Hospitals during #ChildrensHospitalsWeek, March 5 –  9 to shine a light on the importance of children’s hospitals. For 22 years, Aflac has helped to make a meaningful difference in the lives of kids with cancer like Chloe.

When Chloe was five years old, her body started aching. Many thought they were growing pains, but Chloe’s mother knew something more was wrong. It took visits to seven doctors before one found her diagnosis: cancer.

Chloe’s treatments included steroids, spinal taps and chemotherapy.

“The steroid treatments – five days a month for two and half years – were hard for her,” said Cynthia, Chloe’s mother. “She really changed. Her personality was completely different. I dreaded those five days a month.”

On average, childhood cancer treatments last about 1,000 days and take a toll on children.  They experience everything from personality changes to hair loss.

To help provide comfort and empower patients to better express their emotions, Aflac recently partnered with Sproutel to develop the My Special Aflac Duck, a smart robotic companion for children. My Special Aflac Duck helps children feel less alone by using interactive technology during their treatments. A compatible web-based app enables children to mirror their care routines, including medical play, feeding and bathing via augmented-reality. The smart companion emulates young patients’ moods, endures the same often-painful therapies, and dances, quacks and nuzzles to help comfort children when they need it most.

Aflac’s goal is to put a My Special Aflac Duck into the hands of the nearly 16,000 children newly diagnosed with cancer each year.

Learn more about Chloe, her battle with cancer and the My Special Aflac Duck during #ChildrensHospitalsWeek Live-athon, Wednesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Facebook.com/CMNHospitals.