The National Kidney Foundation of South Carolina (NKF) recently awarded a fellowship to MSW student Bessie Lovingood. The award criteria were straightforward: the recipient was to be a student in good standing who plans to pursue work in renal disease within South Carolina, agree to spend time with a renal specialist, and report nephrology activities. Bessie’s qualifications exceeded the NKF’s expectations.
Currently, the Savannah, Ga. native works as a Nephrology Social Worker for Franklin, Tenn.-based National Renal Alliance (NRA). During a typical week, Bessie spends three days at NRA’s Hampton, SC dialysis clinic and two days at its Bamberg, SC clinic; she ends her week taking Saturday classes at USC. Not to mention thatBessie cared for her mother who was on dialysis for the last six years of her life until she passed away in 2004.
That, however, is not what makes Bessie’s commitment to her career and education outstanding.
In April of 2005, Bessie was on her way from the Bamberg clinic to her 6 p.m. class, when she was involved in a head-on collision with a driver under the influence of cocaine who was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour. After emergency workers assessed that she had not been killed, Bessie was flown via Medivac to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital in Columbia because, as she was later told, the hospital in Orangeburg was not equipped to treat her serious injuries. Although the recovery and rehabilitation have been -- and continue to be -- slow and sometimes painful, Bessie followed through on her personal commitment to resume progress toward earning her MSW as soon as she was physically able to attend classes.
“Social work inspires me and piques my interest,” Bessie said. “I had no idea that I would win this fellowship. It is truly an honor for me, and I am very proud to be a part of this program.”
When she visited the College to meet Dean Dennis Poole, she made no mention of her accident and would not have if her mother-in-law, Sherry Turner, had not.
“We are so proud of her,” Sherry said. “She has come such a long way.”
Bessie admits the recovery has been hard, “but I am blessed to be here and to be able to follow through with my educational dreams.”
