When faced with adversity, it’s all about how you persevere. At FirstBank, we admire those who see the good in any situation and reward them with an “Act of Goodness.” See how our FirstBank team set out to help a customer diagnosed with stage four cancer.

Meet Charles Cox

Charles Cox has been a FirstBank customer for decades. One day, he called our Customer Service department with questions about his account. Kyrié Bentz, Contact Center Rep., answered his call and was instantly touched by his story.

Charles had recently been discharged from the hospital and expressed his cancer diagnoses and bouts with chemotherapy. His experience pulled at Kyrié’s heartstrings as her family was also affected by cancer.  After their call, Kyrié jumped into action and wanted to do everything she could to help.

Our customer mentioned his childhood growing up in California and lifelong Raiders fandom. He grew up picking fresh California oranges straight from a tree. While he missed those citrus fruits and waves of Black and Silver flashing on the screen, his life in the small town of Kersey, CO, has provided a peaceful life for Charlie and his wife, Linda.

Behind the scenes, Kyrié was secretly planning a special surprise for Charles. He phoned her days later to check his account and proudly announced his cancer remission. His overwhelming sense of hope and a new outlook on life made it clear he was in need of an Act of Goodness.

The Surprise

It was a foggy morning in Northern Colorado when Kyrié and Paige Dopler, Greeley Branch Manager, invited Charles and Linda into the branch. The husband-and-wife duo were told they needed new debit cards; instead, they were greeted with orange balloons, warm smiles, and an oversized check endorsed by FirstBank.

With the help of the bank, the team gifted Charles and Linda with a $1,500 cash deposit to help with medical bills and other expenses, $300 gift card to his favorite restaurant, 6-month citrus-fruit-of-the-month certificate, Raiders blanket and special video message from Tim Brown, former Raiders Wide Receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Charles and Linda weren’t expecting this level of kindness from the folks at their bank. They were extremely grateful and even shared a group hug with the FirstBank team.  

“This was truly a dream for me! The joy of planning this and getting to know Charlie and Linda will stay with me forever. Working in the Contact Center, we never get to see our customers, so it was nice to see Charlie’s character and personality come to life. He was even wearing his “Smile” t-shirt. This man is not leaving earth without a fight or kindness in his heart,” said Kyrié.

A big thank you to Kyrié and the Northern Colorado team, who saw an inspiring story and did everything they could to make this “no more chemo” party one to remember. To see more stories about how FirstBank spreads goodness throughout our community, visit efirstbankblog.com.

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