Astronaut and author bring hope to kids fighting cancer

ATLANTA — Children fighting cancer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta got a visit that felt bigger than the hospital walls around them. Astronaut Kellie Gerardi and children’s author Sheri Fink spent the day at the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, offering encouragement, connection and a reminder that dreams don’t have boundaries.

The two teamed up around Beyond Words, a new book created by Fink in collaboration with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. The story is designed to help families, friends and caregivers better understand what young patients are going through, especially when kids aren’t yet able to express their pain, fear or frustration.

For many of the young patients, the visit was a chance to escape into something brighter. Gerardi, who became the 90th woman to travel to space, told the kids about her upcoming mission with an all-female crew. Fink shared her passion for storytelling and imagination, hoping to give children a moment where treatment wasn’t the center of their world.

Both women said connecting with the kids felt personal and powerful. They took pictures, answered questions and read from the new book, all while reminding the young patients that their dreams don’t need limits.

Hospital leaders say the hope behind Beyond Words is simple: to build empathy, to give kids a language for the things they can’t always explain and to show families that no child faces their battle alone.

The visit ended with hugs, photos and a room full of smiles — a brief but meaningful moment of possibility for kids who carry so much every day.

Aflac leaders say the book is a natural extension of their long-standing work with pediatric patients.

“For the past 30 years, Aflac, Inc. has been an amazing partner to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The launch of this new book, ‘Beyond Words,’ is just one example of their continued commitment to supporting our patients with cancer and blood disorders,” said Doug Graham, MD, PhD, Chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

“At Aflac, we’ve delivered over 40,000 My Special Aflac Ducks to kids with cancer and sickle cell disease because we’re a company centered in a culture of care. That’s why we created this book — to teach every child how to be the friend who always knows exactly what to do, even when they don’t know what to say. ‘Beyond Words’ is all about love, compassion and care.”