A medical event shouldn't
leave you in debt.

Lashandra Covington

When you think of turning 21, do you ever think about self-breast exams or breast cancer? Lashandra Covington didn’t. But in 2002, at the age of 21, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Lashandra had just given birth to her second child and breast cancer was the last thing on her mind. A year later, Lashandra was told she was cancer free. Unfortunately, seven years later her cancer came back, and more procedures ensued. Then, in April 2021, Lashandra was diagnosed with colon cancer. Throughout this journey, Lashandra didn’t have insurance, so most things were out-of- pocket, or she avoided the doctor all together. Then, Lashandra saw an ad for Aflac’s CareGrant – the $5,000 not only helped with her latest procedure but helped Lashandra get back on track and take a relaxing breathe for a moment.

John Shadock

John and Allison Shadock were married only a short time before he was diagnosed with glioblastoma at only 35 years old. The diagnosis changed the young couple’s life instantly. Allison and John and their two dogs had to relocate to be closer to John’s doctor which involved leaving jobs, undergoing astronomically expensive cancer treatments, MRIs and never-ending travel expenses. If this wasn’t enough, John had a fall a year ago that forced the Shadock family to seek round-the-clock care. They also have had to lean even more on family and friends for support. Their motto is "strong all along" and the $5,000 CareGrant they received from Aflac was extremely useful in helping keep the family on their feet so that the Shadocks could continually focus on John’s care, not their finances.

R. Mateo Magdaleno

One slip of paper can change the course of your life. That’s exactly what happened to Mateo Magdaleno. Mateo found himself in a place he never imagined – battling type II diabetes and drowning in medical debt. The diabetes began a ripple effect of other health problems including cognitive issues and higher cholesterol and the debt began to pile on. As Mateo says, “I thought having health insurance by itself would be enough, but the treatments that I needed were not covered and I was exceeding all my days off. It came to the point where I was choosing between groceries and paying for the medication that I needed to live.” Then, a friend forwarded Mateo an ad for an Aflac CareGrant and despite looking too good to be true, Mateo applied and later received funds he needed to help him focus on his recovery for the time being.

Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Aflac awarded its first community CareGrant to Appalachian Regional Healthcare for its community-focused mission, wide range of relevant services and outreach and accessibility programs, including its patient assistance fund, and ongoing Community Health Needs Assessment report.

Appalachian Regional Healthcare will use its CareGrant to help reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Harlan County by increasing access to disease education and appropriate screening and maintenance tools.

Aflac also unveiled the first Aflac Park Bench in Dressen Park in Harlan, Kentucky, as a representation of the commitments Aflac is making to education, support, and advocacy to help close the gap.