Dad honors son’s memory with Masters ‘White Out’
William Thompson IV, a vivacious, bright, golf-loving, 12-year-old, was suddenly taken from this world on Jan. 30. An illness struck him hard and turned out to be a lethal case of bacterial meningitis.
Now, six weeks later, his father, Bill Thompson, seeks to raise awareness of the illness, honor the memory of his son and celebrate the lives that were able to be continued through the gift of organ donation.
Two days after William passed, the students at his middle school rallied together to participate in a “White Out” to show their solidarity and pay respect to their classmate.
The movement was known as #WearWhiteforWilliam. Bill Thompson hopes to continue that movement at the Masters PGA golf tournament in Augusta, as William was an avid lover of golf. He shared a birthday with Tiger Woods and never hesitated to join his father and grandfather as they spent their time on the green.
“He was my only child. His mother is heartbroken. And so am I,” Thompson said.
But on April 5, a day that is also known as “family day” at the Masters, the Thompson family is asking Augusta, and more specifically the patrons of the tournament and golf professionals, to #WearWhiteforWilliam.
For more information, contact Bill Thompson at wearwhiteforwilliam@gmail.com. Information can also be found at www.wearwhiteforwilliam.com.
Advanced practice RN joins OB-GYN specialists
Maureen Chapman, an advanced practice registered nurse with more than 25 years experience, has joined the medical staff at Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists.
She will be working with board-certified gynecologist Dr. Pat Thompson and nurse practitioner Suzanne Wolf in the practice’s Port Royal and Bluffton offices.
For the last three years, Chapman has served as a clinical instructor in women’s health at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She has also volunteered at Good Neighbor Clinic in Beaufort and Volunteers in Medicine on Hilton Head Island, providing gynecological and early prenatal care to women with limited access to medical services.
A certified nurse-midwife, Chapman worked for eight years in a busy Pennsylvania OB-GYN practice, offering prenatal, labor and birth, and routine gynecological care. She also served for one year as a faculty member in the master’s level midwifery program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
In 2002, she established and operated a private midwifery practice in Meadowbrook, Pa. Earlier in her career, she was a clinical nurse specialist and childbirth educator at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook. Chapman also spent 15 years as a flight nurse with the U.S. Air Force Reserve at McGuire Air Force Base in Trenton, N.J.
A maxima cum laude graduate of Philadelphia’s La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, Chapman went on to complete her Master of Science degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, earning a certification as a nurse midwife.
“I personally selected Maureen to be an extension of my care,” said Thompson. “She has dedicated more than 25 years to women’s health and will now use her years of experience to provide our patients with routine gynecological care and in-office procedures, thus avoiding unnecessary delays in patient care and making me readily available when an issue develops that requires my attention.
“While many people think of a certified nurse midwife in terms of obstetrics, in fact her advanced training encompasses a full range of primary health care services for women – from adolescence through and beyond menopause.”
Chapman, Wolf and Thompson see only gynecology patients in their Port Royal and Bluffton offices and do not deliver babies. However, Beaufort Memorial OB-GYN Specialists has several other board-certified providers, including Drs. Christopher Benson, Marlena Mattingly and Gregory Miller, nurse-midwives Janna Jones Kersh and Catherine Tambroni-Parker and nurse practitioner Maggie Bisceglia, who provide both obstetrics and gynecology care in Beaufort and Bluffton.
To make an appointment with any of the providers, call 843-524-8151.
Healing arts program set for March 25
A program on integrated health coaching, cranial sacral, reflexology, chiropractic, healing touch, acupressure self-care, counseling consultations and more will be presented from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25.
The program will be presented by licensed volunteer practitioners and Christian healing prayer team at 703 Bladen St. in Beaufort (Beaufort Chiropractic office).These events will be held on the fourth Saturday of each month. There is a $10 minimum donation for each 20-minute session. Appointment times are limited, but there is free entry to public for visitation and information on integrative health options. Call or text 843-770-9947 for an appointment time.
This program is sponsored by Ministries for Synergetic Wellness a 501(c)3 nonprofit giving affordable access to holistic mental health and integrative services. Free pastoral care/counseling, healing prayer, and scholarship applications are available on site.
