Hurricane Florence Relief

The Stories of Every Day Heroes


While many people rode out Hurricane Florence in their homes or with the comfort of family, our staff left theirs behind to care for our community.  Not only did they work and sleep many days in the hospital, their already long days became more exhausting as Hurricane Florence imposed many challenges -- such as power outages, difficulty transporting patients, and preservation of resources. 

Still, they wore smiles to hide tears and put their skills to work, setting aside their own worries of home to care for patients.  

Sadly, many of our employees have suffered devastating or catastrophic damage to their homes.  One of our nurses learned about the loss of her home when she saw a picture flash across the news channel.  She continued her duties, honored the oath she took as a nurse, and cared for her patients despite knowing she lost everything.  

Another came home after vacation with her family to a newly built home that was under water.  Without even a pair of scrubs to wear, she reported to work, dressed in borrowed garments, and took her patient assignments.

These, among many, are the stories of every day heroes at Sampson Regional Medical Center.  And we are asking for your help so that we can assist them in rebuilding their homes.


The Sampson Regional Medical Center Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.


From a Patient
Accidents and trauma do not wait for hurricanes to pass. After a visit to our ER during Hurricane Florence, we discovered a post on social media from a patient we had cared for.  She told of how relieved she was to finally experience air conditioning, but unfortunately because she was in the emergency room.  This patient acknowledged our staff by name for their amazing kindness and excellent care.  She noted that as she was receiving care, it suddenly occurred to her that the people caring for her are human too.  She learned that her nurse lives in Wilmington and commutes to Sampson Regional for work.  The nurse wasn't sure at the time what she would return to or when she could even try to get home.  This patient and her mother took a moment to share prayer with the nurse and offered her a place in their home if she needed a place to rest after work.  Her post on social media appealed to others to please lift up this nurse and all others "as they continue their shifts, trying to mask the various emotions they're feeling."     Note: This story shared with permission of the patient. 


A Nurse Leader

One of our nursing leaders had a death in her immediate family the day Hurricane Florence began making her impact in our area.  This nurse is also one of the primary caretakers of another immediate family member who suffers from a debilitating disease.  In a very trying time, this nurse leader reported to work over the weekend -- just when the worse of Hurricane Florence struck our hospital. She provided leadership to her team and then took night shifts to care for patients on a nursing unit other than her own.  This is the level of commitment demonstrated across the leadership of our organization.