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Aflac Promotes National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on Good Morning America

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at U.S. worksites, is continuing its work to honor children and families facing childhood cancer throughout September in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

On Monday, September 17, Aflac’s efforts were featured on Good Morning America. The pre-taped segment featured the My Special Aflac Duck™ as children and families at Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt–the local CMN Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee–were introduced to the incredible kid-friendly robot that allows children to express how they are feeling as they go through pediatric cancer treatments.

Meet My Special Aflac Duck who brings smiles to the faces of kids fighting cancer

Meet My Special Aflac Duck, a comforting companion designed to bring smiles and comfort to children coping with cancer, thanks to Aflac. https://gma.abc/2pfBw8W

Posted by Good Morning America on Monday, September 17, 2018

“Children have trouble communicating what’s really going on in their body,” Aflac CEO Dan Amos told GMA. “We as a company decided that we would try to find ways to make it possible for the children to better communicate.”

Aflac developed My Special Aflac Duck, a robotic companion equipped with different feeling cards and a special port to help pediatric cancer patients better express their feelings. Their ultimate goal, as a part of Aflac’s ongoing Childhood Cancer Campaign is to get one in the hands of every child, ages 3-13, newly diagnosed with cancer in the U.S.

Country music artists Chris Young and Chase Bryant were on hand at Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to help showcase the ducks to patients.

“Being able to sit there face-to-face with kids today and see them actually engage and react and be excited about it, there’s nothing like that,” Young told GMA.

Bryant, who’s brother was diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia at the age of three, said that all they wanted to do was see his brother smile as he was going through treatment. “Seeing a kid smile over [My Special Aflac Duck], it’s a life-changer,” he said.

After the segment, GMA’s Robin Roberts shared how difficult it can be for a child to explain how they’re feeling but now, thanks to Aflac, doctors can ask children how their duck is feeling, allowing the children to express their thoughts through their ducks.

In September, Aflac has two programs scheduled at local CMN Hospitals in Atlanta and Columbia, South Carolina where children will receive the very first My Special Aflac Ducks. Hospitals nationwide will be able to begin ordering My Special Aflac Ducks for children at their locations beginning in October.