See How Aflac is Helping Close Gaps
in Your Community

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.

Jamie Tabor

I've always heard that cancer changes you, but I've never heard how it changes everything for your loved ones too. In 2014, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3a metastatic breast cancer. My dad was an independent contractor, earning six figures a year. He exhausted almost every cent to help her fight the disease.

Six months after she was given her last treatment, my dad felt ill with a stomach ache. We were convinced he had an ulcer. Twelve hours later, he emerged from the ER with a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. My mother, who was still healing from a mastectomy, spent what little they had left to keep my dad comfortable.

Their six-figure income household was reduced to just $17.00 a month in food assistance and a mountain of credit card debt incurred by medical needs.

My dad passed away less than six months later. My mother spent every waking day for almost 5 years not only grieving his loss, but dealing with constant reminders of their medical debt.

In October 2021, my mother passed away. I was left to deal with their debts while grieving the loss of two parents. Debt from the medical bills has a lien on the one thing I have left of my parents. Their home. As a single mom, this $5,000 has helped me avoid going further into debt as I try to salvage what l have left of them.