Sue Hesteness can officially call herself a hero.

When the Bell Bank customer service representative at our Hawley, Minn., branch thought something seemed off about one of our longtime customers, she immediately took action.

Noticing the customer looked pale and seemed slightly short of breath, when Sue learned that he wasn’t feeling quite right, she rushed him to Sanford Clinic and waited while doctors examined him.

“Deep in my heart I felt he needed to be seen by a doctor, and the only way that he could safely get there is if I took him,” Sue explains. “One of our golden rules at the bank is treat each customer in a kind and courteous manner. The reason I stayed with him is simple; he needed me, and I treated him the way I would treat family. He is family.”

It turned out the customer had a potentially serious medical issue and had to be transferred by ambulance to Sanford in Fargo.

For her quick thinking and going above and beyond with her actions, Sanford Health recognized Sue with a HERO award – something that is typically only given to employees. Sue is the first Sanford HERO award recipient who does not work for Sanford.

“This gentleman was fortunate that Sue recognized that something was not right and she was committed to following through to make sure he was taken care of,” Sanford wrote in a statement. “Thanks to Bell Bank for allowing Sue to take time to not just bring the patient to the clinic but stay with him until she knew he would be transferred to Fargo. This is an excellent example of ‘GREAT SERVICE’ that is provided in the Hawley community!”

Bell also honored Sue with a How Bell of You award – which is given to employees who go above and beyond in providing exceptional customer service, creating a family atmosphere and paying it forward.

“Sue’s alertness and compassion made a huge difference,” wrote Julie Peterson Klein, Bell’s executive vice president and chief culture officer, who nominated Sue for the award. “Thank you, Sue, for going above and beyond in service to this Bell customer!”

Sue says she was humbled by the awards.

“I feel that what I did was nothing short of doing what anyone else would do,” Sue remarks. “The awards are nice, but truly, the only thing that really matters is that our customer is now back on his feet and living independently again.”