NCB CEO grants wishes of two fathers with children battling cancer

“Without my community, I don’t know how I would survive,” shared Cordell Brown, a business banker at NCB’s Baywest branch in St James. “This donation is coming from home. NCB has been my backbone through this journey, and this contribution reminds me that I’m not facing it alone.”

Brown is one of two fathers receiving support after Robert Almeida, CEO of NCB Financial Group Limited (NCBFG), dedicated his Grant a Wish allocation to help team members whose children are battling cancer and undergoing extensive treatment.

As part of the programme, the CEO is allocated $500,000 for his Grant a Wish pick. For 2025, Almeida elected to split his allocation between two staff members facing extraordinary personal circumstances.

Brown’s six-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with high-risk leukaemia and is currently receiving treatment overseas. He noted that the donation will help offset the significant, ongoing costs associated with her care, including travel and accommodation.

The second recipient, Maurice Dawson, a customer care agent at NCB, is also caring for a four-year-old daughter diagnosed with a form of high-risk leukaemia. She is undergoing an equally gruelling, though different, treatment regime.

“The chemo treatment and medication are ongoing expenses,” Dawson said. “Doctors will call you when a need arises, and, when your child’s life is on the line, there’s no waiting. I am truly grateful for this contribution.”

Almeida said his decision was shaped by what he learned about the two families’ circumstances and the support shown by colleagues across the organisation.

“It breaks my heart to think that children have to go through illnesses like this,” he said. “When I saw how the team rallied around these families, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to help too, and Grant a Wish provided a meaningful way to do so.”

NCB. Foundation’s Grant a Wish is open to all Jamaicans and residents across the island, not only NCB customers. Nominations close at midnight on December 31. Wishes may be submitted online at w ww.jncb.com/grantawish or at participating NCB branches islandwide.