Fun Time At Braves Night With Aflac Blood Disorders & Cancer Center

Last Thursday, Liam and Josiah put on their new t-shirts and we headed into chemo for the day. They were excited, not for the usual doctor's visit, but because we were going to their first Braves game that night! Thanks to the Aflac Blood Disorders and Cancer Center, we had the amazing opportunity to go to a Braves game and have an awesome time.

When we first got there, it was time for dinner! The catered dinner included delicious hotdogs and hamburgers, which happens to be Liam's favorites. He was so happy to see his "friends", the nurses from the hospital, there to share in the fun. They also painted faces!

Josiah was excited because ice cream was for desert! He was in heaven, for sure. Here's my little red-head having a great time after dinner:

Then, the boys got a huge surprise when Tim Hudson stopped by to sign their baseballs and take pictures! Liam had no idea who he was, but that didn't stop him from hopping up on his lap, making silly faces and laughing with him. We got some great photos with "Huddy"!

After dinner, the game was about to begin, so we took our seats in the stadium and watched the first pitch. The boys were captivated! Not only did they enjoy the game, but all of the music and entertainment in between innings. They'd watched games on tv, but they quickly learned that going to a live game is so much more fun. There were funny films on the screen, music clips, the kiss-cam and, of course, the Tomahawk Chop! They both got foam tomahawks to do the chop and, no matter what they were doing, when the Tomahawk Chop started around the stadium, they stopped, picked up their tomahawks and started chopping away. It was so cute!

The boys had such a wonderful time and it was all thanks to The Aflac Blood Disorders & Cancer Center. We are so thankful for Liam's amazing doctors and nurses. They make all the difference in the world! The boys would never admit it, but they were so tired. In fact, Papa had to carry Liam on his shoulders all the way to the car.

This was definitely a night we will never forget! A special thanks to everyone who made this night possible!

Calculate Future Financial Possibilities With The Aflac Real Cost Calculator

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Aflac. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Illness is something we never like to think about and something we generally do not talk about unless it happens. Unfortunately, illness struck our family in many unexpected ways that blindsided us last year. For this reason, I believe it is best for others to educate themselves about the possibility of medical emergencies and illnesses. Just because they haven't happened doesn't mean they won't in the future. Why not educate yourself about the costs and possibilities? This way you are already prepared if the situation arises. If I had done this, I believe everything would have been much less stressful for our family.

My son Liam has been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis for about two years and every 6 months we get MRIs to track the growth of his brain tumors. Until last August, they had stayed the same size, but all of a sudden they started growing. The doctor's wanted to take action immediately. So, on top of the expenses of 3 doctors, MRIs and travel expenses, we added on his port placement operation and chemotherapy every single week. It was a complete life change for our family and one that hit the bank much more than expected.  We read that medical debt is the leading cause for bankruptcy, so we wanted to take action immediately to prepare for any future costs.

Luckily, Aflac has something called the Real Cost Calculator, which helps people prepare for their own financial future in case of an unexpected illness or medical emergency. Yes, our insurance luckily covers a great deal of our costs, but we also have to factor in out of pocket expenses as well as our monthly household costs. All of these add up very quickly and the Real Cost Calculator has helped tremendously with our budget planning. Plus, it is very easy to use.

As of now, we have Aflac insurance and have been so happy with our coverage and with the service they have provided. In fact, my son gets his chemotherapy at the Aflac Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta! So, we are not only thankful for Aflac, but appreciative of all they do for customers. The calculator is just one of many things they have done for us. For once I actually feel empowered by my insurance because I am covered well and have been educated on what to expect cost-wise.

Have you taken a look at the Aflac Real Cost Calculator? I was just playing around with it tonight and was amazed at some of the prices to be expected. For example, a family with a child who has leukemia can expect an estimated $62,910 in medical expenses based on previous Aflac payouts in the past with about $9,700 out of pocket payments. Although Liam does not have leukemia, his treatment is very similar, so this really hits home. The calculator also estimates household expenses, which end up being around $8,963. I love that the calculator not only estimates the medical and out of pocket expenses, but also takes other bills into account. These are often overlooked and this has caused us to underestimate expenses in the past, which has lead to overspending. Fortunately, this does not happen any longer!

Take a look at the Aflac Real Cost Calculator, come back and let me know something you learned. I'm sure you will be amazed at how much information is provided! Take it from me, it is best to research and be prepared for your family and yourself.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It's Open-Enrollment Time & Aflac Is Here To Help!

When I was working at the UGA library before getting married, I didn't fill out my insurance forms when I got hired. For that reason, I had to go an entire year before open-enrollment time occurred! I went an entire year without any insurance and was terrified of getting sick. Luckily, I only had to see a doctor once, but without that insurance, I paid almost $350! I definitely learned my lesson!

Now that we have children, insurance is even more important, especially with Liam's condition. We took advantage of our open-enrollment policy last year and studied up on all the benefits of each plan my husband's employer offered. This has been a lifesaver (and money saver) this year with Liam's hospital bills, MRIs an upcoming chemotherapy treatments. The MRIs alone would have cost us over $10,000 each without the correct insurance plan! We definitely did our homework, but this is unfortunately not the case for many other Americans. According to a recent study released by Aflac, 1 in 4 survey respondents said they chose the wrong level of insurance coverage to meet their needs and over 56% of employees estimate they waste up to $750 because they make mistakes when choosing insurance plans.

This, to me, is a complete wake-up call for all Americans! We need to do our homework, study up on each of the plans and even meet with an consultant about what you should do. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on your employer to refer you to the right plan as 52% of survey responses said their employer did not communicate with them about open enrollment at all.

Just imagine how much money could be saved just by picking the right plan for your family! $750 would pay our rent for a month. I am almost certain that until recently, we probably chose the wrong plan and spent more than we should have, which ended up causing my husband to work more hours in order to pay. All that time an money was wasted as we never even met our deductible. This is another problem addressed by the survey, so I am sure many of you can relate as well. Take a look at this infographic for more information on the survey and how to choose the right benefits.

I, personally, am a fan of Aflac insurance. Okay, part of it is because every time I write or say Aflac it is in the voice of the infamous duck , but also because they have some great plans an their customer service is amazing. I've never had other consultants take the time to go over the plans with me in detail like Aflac and that is something very important to me. I'm also supportive of Aflac because they help fund my the Aflac Cancer Center, which is where my son goes for all of his treatments. They have contributed over $60 million to the center so far (and they also gave my son a stuffed Aflac duck that says "Aflac" when you squeeze his belly)! How could I not support a wonderful business such as Aflac?

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Aflac and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.