Little Boy’s Cancer Diagnosis Launches Dad’s New Career

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Has this ever happened to you? When people know you work for a certain company, sometimes they’ll tell you how much it means to them — or to someone they know — and how it changes lives.

It happened to Ashley Dusenbury, senior manager, Corporate Communications at Aflac, in November. As she shared information about Corporate Communications with new hires at a new employee orientation, she noticed someone who was especially attentive during the corporate social responsibility portion of the presentation — and that he looked familiar. She knew that she knew him.

As the orientation wrapped up, the man, Brian Teague approached Ashley and said, “I think you know my son, Daniel! I work for Aflac now.”

“Within seconds of my arrival, I had noticed Brian was among the group of new hires,” said Ashley. “I had never met Brian in person, but felt I knew him because of a story I had written about his son in August, highlighting Daniel’s journey with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and his wish to become an astronaut.

“Aflac had teamed up with Make-A-Wish South Carolina and the South Carolina State Museum to help make Daniel’s wish come true.”

During a surprise celebration at the museum, Daniel and his family learned they would be heading to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event included a taped, personal message by Gen. Charles “Charlie” Duke — a retired astronaut who walked the surface of the moon during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 — and a gift of luggage just the right size for a little boy.

Taking off for Florida

Daniel and his family packed that luggage and traveled to Kennedy Space Center this past August — the final component of his dream come true.

“Daniel is in remission and has a lot more energy now that his treatment is done,” said Brian. “And residual chemotherapy side effects, such as nightmares, are no longer an issue.”

With Daniel’s energy level returning to pre-treatment levels, he and his brother, 4-year-old Austin, thoroughly enjoyed their space center adventure.

Making a life-changing career decision

As a result of the experience, Brian and his wife, Brannon, researched Aflac and its commitment to children with cancer and blood disorders. They liked what they learned and were so impressed with the role Aflac played in making Daniel’s wish come true that Brian looked into full-time employment opportunities here. As he explored Aflac’s advantages, he was convinced it was the company for him.

“I wanted to work for a company that genuinely cares about others and communities,” said Brian. “I wanted to work at Aflac because of the outpouring of generosity and kindness for Daniel.”

He applied for employment, and on Sept. 25, he was hired as a remote Aflac Group application developer.

Helping others prepare for what life may bring

“Aflac’s impact on my son’s life was very profound for me,” said Brian. “It inspired me to say thank you to Aflac in my own way. When trying to think of a way to do this, I knew that I could be an asset for Aflac based on my career experience in insurance and programming.”

Seeing Ashley at NEO confirmed those feelings

“Now that I’m working for Aflac, I am excited that I help deliver our promise,” said Brian. “We help provide our policyholders with the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are better prepared for whatever life may bring and recognize that, especially during a health event, today is what matters most. Thank you to everyone at Aflac for letting me be part of something amazing!”

Get to know Aflac and our philanthropic activities at Aflac.com/About-Aflac.