12 | HealthLinksSC.com Issue 13.2 Publisher CULLEN MURRAY-KEMP [email protected] Managing Editor LISA BRESLIN Associate Editor AMY GESELL Copy Editor MARGARET BLUBAUGH Art Director KIM HALL Webmaster GEORGE CONKLIN Sales Manager MANDY WILLIS [email protected] Writers Senior Media Consultant MARTHA SPILLANE [email protected] Photographer JENN CADY [email protected] Distribution Manager CAROL CASSIDY Administration & Bookkeeping GINGER SOTTILE Distribution U.S. Post Office, Harris Teeter, Publix, CVS, Food Lion, Medical Offices TO ADVERTISE IN HEALTHLINKS, PLEASE CALL 843-732-4110 MEDICAL MARKETING GROUP HealthLinks Magazine reserves the right to refuse advertisements. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply the service or product is recommended or endorsed by HealthLinks Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Medical Marketing Group, LLC. Medical Marketing Group 4 Carriage Lane, Suite 107, Charleston, S.C. 29407 843-732-4110 • [email protected] MAGAZINE PUBLISHER'S NOTE LISA BRESLIN LINDA ESTERSON AMY GESELL L.C. LEACH III COLIN MCCANDLESS JANET PERRIGO JIM RADA, JR. MOLLY SHERMAN THERESA STRATFORD MICHAEL VYSKOCIL LISA WACK Scan to register for the HealthLinks Charity Golf Series! It’s not often that we have the opportunity to give back to the people and places who lift us up during trying times. But I’m thrilled to share an invitation to join the HealthLinks family on the greens as we host a series of golf tournaments to do just that — support local charities that have supported us and the community. This invitation springs from my own personal gratitude. Of the many memorable moments that my dad and I shared on the golf course during the final years of his life, one in particular sticks out. I had just shot my low round (at the time) of 74 on a fairly forgiving Oak Point Golf Course on Johns Island. My father and I sat on the clubhouse’s back porch sharing lagers, laughs, and a pristine view of the Kiawah River. For a moment, we forgot about the tremors, the mental and physical setbacks, and through a crooked smile my dad told me how proud of me he was. It was a moment of realization for my father that maybe he hadn’t done too terrible of a job with his life’s biggest project, raising his son. Michael Kemp, world-renowned marine biologist/father/husband, passed away in the fall of 2020 from complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, he and my mother moved to Charleston from their home in Maryland where they spent their lives studying the Chesapeake Bay. During the last three years of my father’s life, the one activity we kept coming back to was golf. While he did not play much, he spent countless hours in the cart analyzing and relearning his son. I was also able to discover so much about my father during those times. What I learned from him has shaped my life ever since. In addition to really discovering each other, I believe that my father found peace on the golf course. It was a place where the horrors of his medical reality somehow dissolved and the biggest problem at hand was watching his son curse the heavens as he sliced another tee ball into the water. Throughout my father’s journey with these diseases, there were a couple of local medical charities and nonprofits that we leaned on for guidance during dark times. Parkinson’s Support Foundation and Respite Care of Charleston to name two, helped give my mother and me peace of mind when we were directionless. Having the opportunity to give back to these and other Charleston-based medical charities by way of the HealthLinks Charity Golf series is a full circle moment for me and would have be a point of pride for my father. I also recognize that my family’s story is not unique and that there are thousands of other people who are struggling with similar situations in our community. My hope is that you will consider sponsoring or playing in one, or all three, of our Charity golf tournaments this spring. Help us raise money to help these great organizations help our fellow community members in need. As the first tee shots are hit at Stono Ferry on March 14, I know my father will be smiling down on us all, and undoubtedly laughing as so many of us slice, hook and shank our way to a great time for a great cause. Cheers to Good Heath, Cullen Murray-Kemp, Publisher Cullen Murray Kemp
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1