Aflac and NASCAR Driver Carl Edwards to Induct Mother of Five into Crew of Courage at Kansas Speedway

Topeka Resident, 'Crew Chief' of Her Household, to Be Honored With VIP Experience at Price Chopper 400

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Oct 01, 2010, 12:58 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the No. 1 provider of voluntary and guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Roush Fenway Racing team today announced that Topeka, Kan., resident and mother of five, Sarah Guesby, will be inducted as the sixth member of the Aflac Crew of Courage. Guesby, along with her husband Kevin, will be welcomed during the Price Chopper 400 on Oct. 3. The Aflac Crew of Courage is a program spotlighting stories of amazing bravery.

Guesby is the 'crew chief' of her household. Together with her husband, she has guided the family through a series of setbacks and watched everyone recover with the help of Aflac. Most recently, in July of this year, her 15-year-old son, Jamaja, was hurt in a hit-and-run motorcycle incident, which involved reconstructive surgery to repair shattered bones in his leg. Over the last seven years, four of her five children have been in the hospital for issues ranging from minor football injuries to major surgery. And Guesby herself once benefited directly from Aflac insurance when she was in the hospital.

Aflac helped Guesby run her home with the swiftness and precision of a NASCAR pit crew, and despite the recent obstacles, Guesby kept her family afloat financially. Her Aflac accident and hospital indemnity insurance policies helped pay for everyday expenses not covered by the family's major medical insurance.

"We all know that every team needs a crew chief to succeed," said Edwards. "Sarah has shown courage as the leader of her household in the way she's seen her family through difficult times, all with Aflac by her side."

In select race markets this season, Aflac Racing and Edwards welcome inspirational Aflac policyholders into the Crew of Courage and give them VIP experiences at their local racetracks. Selected Crew of Courage members share one-on-one time with Edwards and receive special access to the garage and pit areas, as well as tickets to the race. What's more, Edwards honors Aflac Crew of Courage members by wearing their names on feather-shaped stickers on his helmet throughout the season. Aflac Crew of Courage members also receive autographed replica race helmets as mementos of their experience.

"I know how important it is to protect my family," said Guesby. "I'm grateful to Aflac for keeping us under its wing and providing us with this once-in-a-lifetime race opportunity."

Crew of Courage members are Aflac policyholders who know firsthand how the company helps individuals in times of need. They received benefit checks from Aflac when they were sick or hurt and couldn't work, to help pay for expenses not covered by major medical insurance policies.

"When we learned how many members of Sarah Guesby's family had been helped by Aflac insurance policies, we knew we had to bring Sarah into the Crew of Courage," said Danny Fleishman, vice president of Sponsorships and Emerging Markets at Aflac. "We're proud to have the Guesbys as our special guests at their hometown race track."

The Crew of Courage officially launched at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, the anniversary of Edwards' 2009 last-lap, airborne crash. Blake Bobbitt, a racing fan injured in the Talladega crash, was honored as the program's inaugural member. Bobbitt was covered by an Aflac hospital confinement indemnity insurance policy that paid cash benefits she could use to help with things like recovery expenses.

On May 16, Aflac and Edwards inducted Delaware resident Malania Smith into the Crew of Courage during the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. After suffering an ankle injury that required surgery and a lengthy recovery, Smith battled through her rehabilitation. An Aflac accident insurance policy helped Smith by paying cash benefits she used to help with some of her most costly bills.

In July, Indianapolis resident Jerry Snyder, a throat, tongue and lung cancer survivor, became the third member of the Aflac Crew of Courage. Aflac cancer and hospital intensive care insurance policies provided cash benefit relief quickly to Snyder when he needed it most to help with his mortgage payments, car payments and everyday living expenses.

On Aug. 15, Michigan resident Donald Selfridge became the fourth member to join the Crew of Courage during the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Selfridge, a resident of Big Rapids, Mich., has overcome kidney cancer while facing the added problem of living some 200 miles away from his hospital and doctors. As a result, he regularly drove more than 400 miles round trip to receive treatment in Dearborn, Mich. Selfridge's Aflac cancer insurance policy helped with his travel costs and other expenses.

Last month, accident survivor and auto racing enthusiast Art Moran of Preston, Conn., became the fifth member to join the Crew of Courage at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Two years ago, when he was 16, Moran crashed his ATV and suffered a severe liver injury, causing doctors to induce a five-week coma to facilitate healing. Several weeks before the accident, Moran's father applied for an Aflac accident insurance policy, which paid cash benefits the family used to help with a variety of living expenses.

The Aflac Crew of Courage experience extends beyond the track. Other Aflac policyholders are invited to join the online Crew of Courage by visiting aflacracing.com and submitting a video to share their own stories of personal triumph — with the possibility of being selected by Edwards for a future at-track experience.

For more information, visit aflacracing.com.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For four consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies, and Forbes magazine named Aflac as America's Best-Managed Company in the Insurance category. In 2010, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the twelfth consecutive year and also included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the ninth time. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating eight motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and four in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Colin Braun, Brian Ickler and Paul Menard. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log on to www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Robin Johnson at (704) 720-4645.