It was Judy Kemp’s birthday, but she gave Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital the gifts.
The Murrells Inlet resident, who had been admitted to the hospital twice recently for cancer-related issues, wanted to thank the team for providing high-quality, compassionate care to her while also responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During her hospital stays, she saw team members donning protective gear and working tirelessly in the battle against COVID-19. She wanted to do something for them and thought Chick-fil-A gift cards would allow them to have a good meal without having to pack it or pay for it.

With her special day approaching, she decided to channel her celebration and gifts into a birthday fundraiser on Facebook so she could buy those gift cards to treat the hospital team members. Her daughter, Heather Kemp Daminov, created the Facebook Fundraiser on her page.

“She has seen the depth of the work being done by our health care providers first hand,” according to the fundraiser page. “To celebrate her birthday this month, she wants to give back to the hospital staff at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital. Join her in saying thank you with a donation to this fundraiser.”
Boy, did her friends respond. The initial goal of $200 was met in a matter of hours.
“I got $200 – it was so fast,” Daminov said. “It just kind of got bigger and bigger.” continued to up the goal by $100 increments as donations poured in. By the time it was over, the fundraiser had raised $1,470 through Facebook, checks that came in the mail and a donation from Kemp herself.
That’s a lot of Chick-fil-A meals for Team Tidelands. But Kemp’s words of gratitude meant just as much.
“Thank you so much for taking excellent care of me when I was in the hospital,” Kemp wrote in a card to hospital staff. “May God watch over you and keep you safe!”

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