Full Circle: From Surviving Cancer to Finding a Career With Impact

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Ryan Zimmerman began his life with cancer. When he was born, his doctors discovered that he had a rare form of the disease — fibrosarcoma, a connective tissue cancer that primarily occurs in adults — and amputated his leg up to the hip. Despite it spreading to his lung, Ryan eventually became a survivor of his type of cancer.

Being a kid looked no different for Ryan, who spent his childhood years playing soccer and music, as well as skateboarding — in fact, Ryan learned to skateboard before he learned to walk.

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the children’s hospital with an incredible care team and a lot of play therapy,” said Ryan. “Now, as an adult, I realize that play is something that never really goes away, and it has helped me develop a creative mind.”

It’s that mindset that drove Ryan to go back to school to pursue a degree in computer science.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be around to build a career,” said Ryan. “But after getting married and realizing that I just may have a very full life ahead, I wanted to put my drive for innovation to use.”

During his studies, Ryan became the vice president of the Association for Computing Machinery club, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society. At one of their breakfast events, someone from Aflac’s IT team spoke about the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in her presentation, and he was instantly amazed.

“As a childhood cancer survivor, I was in awe of the work done at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center,” said Ryan. “After researching their programs and Aflac itself, I realized I had just found the perfect place where I can combine my technical interests with my core values and desire to give back to the medical community that enabled me to claim the title of ‘survivor.’”

This year — while juggling a master’s degree program at Georgia Institute of Technology — Ryan joined the Aflac flock as an IT apprentice. “I’ve always felt that if you don’t lose track of time while you’re doing something, maybe it’s not your passion,” said Ryan. “I love that I can be completely absorbed in what I do every day, and I get to do work that has a big impact.”

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance.

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