(9/6/2013)  McLeod Loris Seacoast employee and local author, Deborah E. Richard, has received recognition once again with the publishing of one of her many poems in the Summer 2013 edition of WestWard Quarterly family magazine.

"A Single Rose," appearing on page 12, was inspired by Richard’s mom after giving her daughter one of her last roses of the season a few years ago.  Having the poem published is especially meaningful to Richard because her mother passed away March 7, 2011.

Published in November 2012, Richard’s first book, Resiliency, is a collection of poems that reflects on the ability to bounce back from many of life’s experiences, reflects on the beauty of nature through poems and is a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit.

Richard started writing seriously while at home in Green Sea caring for her mother.

"Leaving Loris Healthcare System (now McLeod Loris Seacoast) in March 2009 after nearly 13 years as a Report Analyst to become full-time caregiver for my mom was an extremely emotional time for me," Richard said.  "There was a lot of sadness in her sickness and death. It hurt me terribly to watch her decline. I was having to be the strong person for the woman who had always been so strong for me. Writing became a way of healing for me."

After her mother’s death, Richard continued to write while volunteering with hospice and later was employed by them for a little more than a year before coming back to McLeod Loris Seacoast temporarily in April 2013. Today, she continues to work temporarily as an administrative secretary in Patient Care Services where she inputs healthcare policies into the organization’s internal communication system.

Richard is a member of South Carolina Writer’s Workshop and West Virginia Writers, Inc. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines including Holler (Princeton Poetry Project), Grab-a-Nickel (Alderson-Broaddus College), Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, The Shine Journal, WestWard Quarterly and The Storyteller. She recently completed a memoir about growing up in Appalachia, in the hills of West Virginia, and is the recipient of an Honorable Mention in the 2010 Joyful! Poetry Contest.

"The greatest honor I have received was recently when Earl Hamner endorsed me for Poetry on my LinkedIn profile," Richard added.  "Mr. Hamner is not only the creator of shows such as "The Waltons" and "Falcon Crest," but has received such prestigious awards as the Literary Lifetime Achievement Award."

To learn more about Resiliency and upcoming works by Richard visit her website at www.debbierichard.com or by email at poet@debbierichard.com. Resiliency is available at www.amazon.com and can also be found in the Horry County Memorial Library System.