An Orange a Day Keeps the Smiles on Display
Originally published on Aflac Newsroom
Despite the Orange football team falling short to Tennessee, 45-26, in the Aflac Kickoff Game, there was a victory taking place in Syracuse, New York. As she cheered from her treatment room Saturday afternoon, a Syracuse superfan received her final round of chemo.
Judy, 11, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in December 2024. What began as a small lump, suspected to be a mosquito bite, turned out to be a malignant soft tissue tumor.
Of course, the news came as a shock, but Judy faced every step with remarkable strength and resilience.
As they were fishing one afternoon, Judy’s family got an unexpected call from SUNY Upstate Medical University asking for Judy to come visit the Syracuse football facility for a day.
Greeted with a bundle of personality by Otto the Orange, Judy and family arrived at John A. Lally Athletics Complex the week before Syracuse’s season opener. Sitting down with Syracuse Head Football Coach Fran Brown in the film room accentuated by orange and blue, Judy shared a memorable experience highlighted by warm smiles.
Along with signed memorabilia and Syracuse swag, Coach Brown provided Judy with a unique gift. Gratified with a smile, Judy received her personal My Special Aflac Duck ®, a free-of-charge robotic companion that provides a way for children to express their emotions during their time of cancer treatment. Though her new friend displayed plenty of emotions, Judy herself has shown incredible resiliency and positivity. Despite facing countless needle pokes, painful side effects, constant nausea, surgery and the emotional toll of a cancer diagnosis, she has maintained a level of hope and strength that has inspired everyone around her.
Coach Brown conveyed that same perspective of positivity when sharing his faith with Judy and her family expressing where his strength comes from. Judy showed her appreciation by giving Coach Brown a unique bracelet that he would later wear on the sidelines in the Aflac Kickoff Game.
Not wanting their communion to end, Coach invited the family to join him for dinner in the players’ cafeteria where they shared some time together as the special day concluded.
Judy wasn’t the only one to receive Syracuse love that afternoon. A couple of patients in the Syracuse area also received a My Special Aflac Duck as well as a special message and signed memorabilia from Coach Brown.
These patient partnerships wouldn’t have been possible without the outreach that the Aflac Kickoff Game provides and with the help of Aflac nation to provide support. Aflac Northeast Regional Sales Coordinator Joe Calarco was instrumental in connecting Aflac and the local hospitals. Using his connections within the community, he did an admirable job by creating relationships with the patients. Other members of the Aflac nation also attended the get-together to show their support for Judy and her family.
As the nation’s longest-running neutral-site game on opening weekend, the Aflac Kickoff Game blends passion for football with dedication to making a difference. Through Aflac’s partnership with Peach Bowl, Inc., the game places an emphasis on purpose and the support of participating teams’ communities through the Kickoff for a Cause initiative.
In the first three years of Aflac’s sponsorship of the kickoff game, Kickoff for a Cause has helped raise more than $1.2 million while bringing much-needed awareness to pediatric cancer at the start of September, National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
This milestone year marks 30 years of Aflac’s commitment supporting pediatric cancer care and research, with more than $191 million contributed since support began. You can also make a difference by visiting give.choa.org/aflac to donate today.
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