This post was sponsored by Aflac as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
There is nothing more frightening than hearing the doctor utter that one dreaded word…cancer. In one instant, my whole world changed and shook me to the core. Like a lot of other people, I had always thought of myself as pretty invincible. I was young, didn’t really have any of the “traits” that put you at risk for skin cancer. So I never really worried about it.
One day when I was putting on makeup I noticed a small, almost invisible, scratch right underneath my eye. I thought it was weird because I didn’t remember scratching my eye, but I didn’t really give it another thought until about 6 months later when I noticed it again. Still the light bulb really didn’t come on just yet. I wasn’t worried about it.
Fast-forward about a year later and I had an appointment with the dermatologist for something totally unrelated. That morning I almost canceled the appointment but decided to go ahead and go. While I was there, I figured I would mention this tiny sore that kept popping back up. He looked at it with his magnifying glass (it was that small) and said that he was 95% sure it was nothing, but we would take a biopsy just to be sure. 3 days later, the doctor called to tell me that the biopsy had come back positive for basal cell carcinoma. A form of SKIN CANCER!
I was devastated, scared and angry at myself for not getting it checked out sooner. Because it was so close to my eye, I had to be referred to a plastic surgeon to have the area removed. All in all, the doctor ended up taking about a massive chunk of skin and tissue under my eye which was one of the worst experiences of my life. It was painful, scary and left a large scar that will always remind me of why you shouldn’t let things go.
That whole experience really woke me up. I can remember thinking about my family and what kind of financial strain they would be under if something were to happen to me. That too me was one of the scariest parts about this journey. Cancer is something that we shouldn’t brush under the rug. It can happen to any of us, and it’s better to prepare for the worst than to have it sneak up on you like it did me. I was lucky that basal cell carcinoma isn’t that serious. Or that I didn’t have melanoma. Things would have been a whole lot worse for my whole family if that were the case.
Cancer can be overwhelming, but with Aflac’s Cancer Protection Assurance* insurance policy, talking about it and preparing for it don’t have to be. The numbers for people who get cancer every year are staggering. 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer in their lifetimes. (Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 2017) THAT’S CRAZY! With Aflac’s Cancer Protection Assurance it helps provide financial footing to cancer victims and their families throughout the process. The plan offers end-to-end care and support from detection and diagnosis, through treatment, all the way to recovery through innovative and supportive benefits. Policyholders have access to CancerCare, which provides emotional support from oncology social workers, support groups and online tools.
Don’t wait till it happens to you! I’m lucky that the cancer I had wasn’t more serious, but I’m not going to wait around for the next time. I am being proactive and thinking of not only my future, but my family’s, too. To find out more about Aflac’s Cancer Protection Assurance, you can visit them online.
*Aflac Cancer Protection Assurance is a cancer/specified-disease insurance policy. In Oklahoma, Policies B70100OK, B70200OK, B70300OK, B7010EPOK and B7020EPOK. Policy may not be available in all states including but not limited to Idaho, New Jersey and Virginia. The policy has limitations and exclusions that may affect benefits payable. Refer to the policy for complete details, limitations, and exclusions. For costs and complete details of the coverage, please contact your local Aflac agent.
Coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.
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