Aflac donation supports pediatric cancer program [The State (Columbia, S.C.)]

Sept. 07--Ben Harding is the ideal example of how a major corporation sinking roots in a new community brings more than just jobs.

Harding landed a job with Aflac, the supplemental insurance giant which bought Columbia-based Continental American Insurance Co. in 2009. He also happens to be a pediatric leukemia survivor.

Those two components of Harding's life come together at a ceremony today when Aflac announces its commitment of $400,000 to a local program that provides support for pediatric cancer patients as they grow older.

"It's important to work for a company that believes in the same things you believe in," said Harding, a client services account manager. The donation "means more for someone like me because I know what kids who have cancer go through."

The donation will support the Palmetto Health Children's Hospital's Transition Recovery After Cancer Experience. The TRACE Clinic, started in 2006, assesses the long-term problems for pediatric cancer patients and helps them find care.

Harding, 27, was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2 and required chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He said the leukemia went into remission almost immediately, but the treatments continued for three years and four months.

While the leukemia never has returned, Harding has suffered some health problems associated with his childhood treatments. For instance, he recently needed major dental work. Studies have found that nearly every child who has major radiation treatment before age 5 and reaches adulthood has periodontal problems.

The TRACE Clinic is set up for pediatric cancer patients who have been cancer-free for 10 years. They return to the clinic at least once a year for blood lab tests, echocardiograms and other maintenance procedures.

"We advise them so they can become well aware what their disease was and what their treatment was," said Dr. Ronnie Neuberg, medical director of the Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. "Then they're armed with information."

Funding for the clinic has been hit in recent years by economic hard times and government cutbacks. The Aflac donation is the first step toward setting up an endowment designed to fund the program in perpetuity, Neuberg said.

"We're very excited and very grateful for Aflac seeking to get involved," Neuberg said.

Aflac, a Fortune 500 company based in Columbus, Ga., in April announced it plans to hire 400 more workers in the Midlands by the end of the year, nearly doubling its work force here to 825. The TRACE donation indicates the company plans to provide more than jobs.

"As our group business continues to grow, we want to send a strong message to the Midlands community that Aflac is committed to the children and families of Columbia and South Carolina," said Aflac president Paul S. Amos II.

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