Originally published on Aflac Newsroom
For families facing pediatric cancer, the ringing of the bell marks something extraordinary: the end of treatment.
The sound itself may only fill a hospital hallway, heard by parents wiping away tears, siblings cheering, nurses applauding and physicians smiling beside a child who has fought so hard to reach that moment. But the meaning of that bell travels much farther than its echo.
Hundreds — even thousands — of miles away, people are celebrating that victory, too.
Whenever a child completes treatment and rings the bell at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Aflac employees across the country receive a notification when they sign in to the employee intranet. A simple message appears on their screen announcing that another young patient has reached this milestone.
For just a few moments, work pauses.
A business analyst in Connecticut smiles before opening the day’s first spreadsheet. A claims specialist in Columbus, Georgia, shares the news with nearby colleagues. An account manager in New York, resolution specialist in Nebraska or consultant in Columbia, South Carolina, hundreds of miles from the hospital, quietly celebrate a child they’ve instantly grown affection for, yet will likely never meet.
For a company whose purpose is rooted in helping children with cancer and blood disorders, these notifications are much more than updates. They are reminders of why the work matters.
“This makes my day every time I see it and reinforces the reasons why I love my job and doing what we do,” said Jamie Howard, Group Partner Platform manager at Aflac.
Kristen Helgesen of Employer Services feels the same. As a cancer survivor herself, each notification carries special meaning.
“Especially kids who should never know the horror of cancer,” she said.
Behind every bell is a story.
It’s the story of a child who endured countless appointments, chemotherapy treatments, procedures and long days in the hospital. It’s the story of parents who learned to carry
hope and fear at the same time. It’s the story of physicians, nurses, child life specialists and countless caregivers who walked beside a family through every difficult step.
They are stories Aflac employees and sales agents have come to care about deeply.
Many have volunteered at hospitals, assembled comfort items, participated in fundraising events, supported programs through payroll or regular giving and met young patients whose courage has stayed with them long after the visit ended. Over time, pediatric cancer becomes more than a cause. It becomes personal.
So when a bell rings, employees know a child is walking out of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center with a future that feels a little brighter than it did before.
They also know not every journey ends with the ringing of a bell. That reality is never far away, and it makes every celebration even more meaningful.
Each notification includes only a few words on a computer screen.
But behind those words is a child who found the strength to keep going, a family beginning to exhale and a community of people — inside the hospital and far beyond its walls — celebrating together.
The bell may ring in Atlanta, but its hope echoes through every corner of Aflac, reminding employees that every effort, every volunteer hour, every donation and every day of work is part of something much bigger.
Because every ring is more than the end of treatment.
It’s the sound of hope fulfilled — and a reminder of why Aflac stands with children and families every step of the way
Aflac includes Aflac and/or Aflac New York and/or Continental American Insurance Company and /or Continental American Life Insurance Company.
Aflac | Aflac NY | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999
Z2600529
EXP 7/27
Additional Media
Images
