In almost 80 countries around the world this Sunday, Father’s Day will be celebrated.
St. 路易, MO (USA) team members 克里斯 Fraser and Ross McKenzie are among the many dads throughout our organization who will be honored by their families. For both of them, however, I suspect this Father’s Day will be particularly poignant.
在12月, 克里斯’ two-year-old daughter Lexi was diagnosed with cancer; two months earlier in October, 罗斯7岁的儿子凯也被诊断出患有癌症.
从那时起, both 克里斯 and Ross have been astounded by the outpouring of love and support each of their families have received from across Barry-Wehmiller. 但这并不奇怪. That’s what happens when you foster a work environment where family comes first and care is the main commodity.
克里斯, Barry-Wehmiller的C3服务台组长, said he sensed that when he chose Barry-Wehmiller over three other job offers two years ago. “I took a pay cut to work for Barry-Wehmiller but it was the right decision.” He knew it when he drove into the parking garage and passed the sign that reads: “Imagine a world where people care for others first.”
When he and his wife Ashley received the gut-wrenching news that Lexi had clear cell sarcoma, a rare type of cancer reported fewer than five times a year in the US, Barry-Wehmiller的家人立即对他进行了照顾.
“我记得那是非常超现实的. Doctors and surgeons began talking to us about the disease and its treatments,克里斯分享道, 但这些都没有引起人们的注意. 我一直在想，‘推荐全球十大博彩公司排行榜该如何处理这一切? In addition to Lexi, we had a baby son, two careers, two dogs and a mortgage? 如果我不能工作怎么办?’”
The plain and simple answer came quickly from his IT team leaders who assured him that no work, 没有工作, 没有什么事业比家庭更重要. They told 克里斯 to take off as much time as he needed to help Lexi get well as his job would be there when he returned.
而这仅仅是个开始. To offset the family’s mounting medical bills, they received a grant from Barry-Wehmiller’s 心连心救济基金, a GoFundMe运动 圣. 路易斯社区充实小组, which selects projects or non-profits to which team members can donate time or financial support, 发起了“每一分钱都很重要”的运动.
“The idea behind ‘Every Coin Matters’ was to encourage people to toss their change or a few bills into the jars that we placed throughout our St. 路易斯办公室. That way we could see that by all of us pitching in a little—like families do—we could really make a difference to a BW family member in need,社区充实小组的塔米·马丁说.
Lexi is currently undergoing a year-long course of chemotherapy after having her right kidney and the tumor surrounding it removed. Her severely compromised immune system has made her susceptible to potentially deadly infections so the family keeps a set of bags packed and ready to return to the hospital at a moment’s notice.
“这很艰难，”克里斯说. “我知道我在其他任何地方都做不到. 一次, 当我花时间陪伴莱克茜回到工作岗位时, 我的一位领导说:‘你为什么在这里? 回家和家人在一起吧.’ I appreciate that but I need to be at work sometimes; it’s my safe place where I can escape for a moment from the stress. +, I really want to fulfill my responsibilities and add value as I am overwhelmed with gratitude for what Barry-Wehmiller has done for my family.”
Ross McKenzie, a 22-year veteran of the Barry-Wehmiller organization, feels the same way. His family began receiving financial and emotional support after his son Kai was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last October. 几周以来，他一直在发烧，手臂间歇性疼痛, Ross’ wife Bibi took Kai to the ER where tests revealed the cancer.
“I was heading home from a business trip when my wife called and told me to come straight to the ER,罗斯说。, currently an Aftermarket Sales Manager for BW Container Systems (now BW集成系统). “是癌症吗??我问. “告诉我吧，”我恳求道. 但我已经知道了.”
Kai will require a three-plus year course of chemotherapy to totally eliminate the cancer from his body.
他说:“赠款和筹款活动非常多. “To see people that I don’t even know from places as far away as Chennai, 印度捐款帮助凯是一件非常了不起的事情.”
Ross believes the long tenure of many team members throughout Barry-Wehmiller contributes to the company’s deep sense of caring.
“There are so many great things about this company that people tend to work for it for a long time,罗斯说。. “你的团队就是你的第二个家. 推荐全球十大博彩公司排行榜都互相照顾.
“When I’m out on the road I look at it like I am selling for all of my team. It’s what ties me to this group and is reason #368 why I am still with this great company after 22 years.”
The company’s care, concern, support and love for Kai is reason number 369.
On this Father’s Day, Ross plans to spend some time, like he always does, in reflection. “我是个好父亲吗? 我怎样才能做得更好? 我想今年我会反思得更多一些。.
克里斯 also plans to spend some time on Sunday thinking about the kind of dad he wants to be.
“I used to spend a lot of time terrified of doing the wrong thing as a father,” he reflected. “Now I will spend more time simply enjoying my kids and doing the things that make them smile—which probably means I’ll be reading Winnie the Pooh to Lexi for about the millionth time!”