I work for a great company, the Institution for Savings in Newburyport, Mass. Staffed by wonderful employees and headed by Michael Jones, president; Kim Rock, executive vice president and COO; and Tricia Ferguson, senior vice president of human resources, all of these people made life much more bearable for my family and I during a terrible year.
On March 14, 2011, after my first-ever colonoscopy, my doctor told me I had cancer. Within days, I began a year of treatment that included 33 radiation sessions, 12 hospital stays and five major surgeries. Months after my diagnosis, our family received even worse news: my husband was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
Throughout these ordeals, my bank held my job and provided both short- and long-term benefits. But the support didn’t stop there. The bank gave me transportation services, hired a weekly cleaning service for our home, arranged an in-home manicure and pedicure, and sent groceries, cards and flowers. The tellers took up a collection and gave my husband an iPod he could enjoy during his treatments. At Christmas, my department gave us money to celebrate the holiday with our family.
I returned to work in March 2012. I will be forever grateful for the support, help and kindness my company showed my family and I during such a difficult time.
– Ellin McSweeney
