Free-of-charge robotic companion helps comfort 17 pediatric
cancer and sickle cell patients at Prisma Health Children's
Hospital-Upstate in Greenville, South
Carolina
COLUMBUS, Ga., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Two-time national
champion Clemson University Head
Football Coach Dabo Swinney, whose
team will kick off the 2024 college football season against the
Georgia Bulldogs in this year's Aflac
Kickoff Game, surprised children at Prisma Health Children's
Hospital-Upstate with My Special Aflac Duck, a
free-of-charge resource created for children ages 3 and up with
cancer and sickle cell disease. In partnership with Aflac, a
leading provider of health supplemental insurance in the U.S.,
Coach Swinney, Aflac U.S. President Virgil
Miller and the famous Clemson
Tiger delivered My Special Aflac Ducks, helping the
children and their families enjoy a great day of fun
activities.
Watching the children interact with My
Special Aflac Duck shows how we can come together to make a
difference
"As Clemson prepares for the upcoming football season, the Tiger
and I are excited to team up with Aflac at Prisma Health Children's
Hospital-Upstate as we get ready for the Aflac Kickoff Game in
August," Coach Swinney said. "Our work today impacts both our local
community and the pediatric cancer and blood disorder community.
Watching the children interact with My Special Aflac Duck
shows how we can come together to make a difference on and off the
field, and I'm truly honored to be a part of it."
Since 2018, the award-winning animatronic duck has helped bring
more than 30,000 kids comfort and joy during very challenging
times. The social robot comes to life using innovative technology,
helping kids prepare for medical procedures, communicate their
feelings, practice distraction techniques and more. The delivery at
Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Upstate comes on the heels of a
three-year study released April 5,
revealing that both parents and caregivers reported a reduction in
distress, nausea, pain and treatment — and procedural anxiety — for
their children who received My Special Aflac Duck, compared
to those in the study who had not yet received a duck. My
Special Aflac Duck was named one of Time Magazine's 50 Best
Inventions and named Best in Show at CES and South by Southwest in
2018.
Also present at the event was the famed Clemson University mascot, The Tiger, who is set to
face off in the Aflac Kickoff Game Mascot Challenge. The mascot
will compete at Tailgate Town on Aug.
31, participating in football-inspired activities to bring
awareness to childhood cancer and raise funds for the local
children's hospital. The champion will be announced during the
Aflac Kickoff Game broadcast on ABC at noon
EDT.
Coach Swinney, the winningest head coach in Clemson football history, was joined by Aflac
U.S. President Virgil Miller, Prisma
Health Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Dr.
Jonathan Gleason, as well as
patients, parents and health care providers at the hospital. The
day included a demonstration of My Special Aflac Duck as
well as fun activities for the young patients, including a
scavenger hunt that culminated in each child receiving their very
own My Special Aflac Duck.
"The My Special Aflac Duck program has become a hallmark
of our commitment to helping families with pediatric cancer and
blood disorders such as sickle cell. We are thankful to Coach
Swinney and the wonderful staff at Prisma Health Children's
Hospital-Upstate for teaming up with Aflac today to help these
children and their care providers," said Aflac U.S. President
Virgil Miller. "To date, Aflac has
given more than 30,000 ducks and donated more than $180 million to childhood cancer and blood
disorders. A recent three-year clinical trial confirmed what we
knew intuitively that this robotic companion helps young patients
cope with treatment-related distress and anxiety. We will continue
to bring awareness to this important cause through the Aflac
Kickoff Game in partnership with Peach Bowl Inc."
"We sincerely appreciate Coach Swinney joining the My Special
Aflac Duck delivery today and visiting with these young
patients and their families to provide a resource that will have a
positive impact on these children during their medical journey,"
said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl Inc.
CEO and president.
"We're grateful to Aflac for its commitment to helping children
with cancer and blood disorders such as sickle cell disease — and
especially for its commitment to helping children here in the
Upstate," said Dr. Robin LaCroix,
medical director of the Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Upstate.
"This incredible, utterly huggable technology creates an
interactive experience that gives children coping tools to help
reduce stress and pain and even brings fun and laughter into what
can be a difficult time for children and their families. It is
wonderful that Coach Swinney, a long-term champion of Prisma Health
Children's Hospital-Upstate, has joined forces with Aflac to yet
again bring smiles to the faces of the families we serve."
Health care providers, support organizations and families can
order My Special Aflac Duck free of charge for
children 3 years or older who have been diagnosed with cancer or
sickle cell disease at myspecialaflacduck.com.
ABOUT AFLAC INCORPORATED
Aflac Incorporated
(NYSE: AFL), a Fortune 500 company, has helped provide financial
protection and peace of mind for more than 68 years to millions of
policyholders and customers through its subsidiaries in the U.S.
and Japan. In the U.S.,
Aflac is the No. 1 provider of supplemental health insurance
products.1 In Japan, Aflac Life Insurance
Japan is the leading provider of cancer and medical insurance in
terms of policies in force. The company takes pride in being there
for its policyholders when they need us most, as well as being
included in the World's Most Ethical Companies by
Ethisphere for 18 consecutive years (2024), Fortune's World's
Most Admired Companies for 23 years (2024) and
Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index for the fourth consecutive
year (2023). In addition, the company became a signatory of the
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2021 and has been
included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (2023)
for 10 years. To find out how to get help with expenses health
insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at aflac.com or
aflac.com/espanol. Investors may learn more about
Aflac Incorporated and its commitment to corporate social
responsibility and sustainability at investors.aflac.com under
"Sustainability."
1 LIMRA 2022 US Supplemental Health Insurance Total
Market Report
ABOUT PRISMA HEALTH
Prisma Health is a private
nonprofit health company and the largest health care organization
in South Carolina. The company has
29,309 team members, 18 acute and specialty hospitals, 2,827
licensed beds, 305 practice sites, and more than 5,400 employed and
independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio
Health Network. Along with this innovative network, Prisma Health
serves almost 1.5 million unique patients annually in its 21-county
market area that covers 50% of South
Carolina. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram,
LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
Media contacts:
Amy Persons, apersons@aflac.com
Jon Sullivan, 706-573-7610 or
jsullivan@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact: David A. Young, 706-596-3264, 800-235-2667 or
dyoung@aflac.com
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SOURCE Aflac
