The following is an article written by one of our wonderful parents, Lynda Maclean, about a legacy left to PWSA UK by her late Auntie Rose. This piece originally appeared in the most recent edition of our quarterly PWS News magazine, but we thought it was worth sharing on our website too as it has such an important message. You can find a link to further information on remembering PWSA UK in your will at the end of the article.
Auntie Rose’s legacy
My Auntie Rose sadly passed away in September 2020, just after her 103rd birthday. She was only 4’10”, but boy she was a mighty force to be reckoned with. She truly was a pocket rocket.
After working at senior management level for the John Lewis partnership for many years she retired to the Isle of Wight. At the grand age of 98, she walked a marathon along Shanklin seafront over six days to raise funds for a school in Africa that she supported.
Auntie Rose married later in life so she didn’t have any children. She was great aunt to my son, Alistair, who has PWS. Auntie Rose always showed a keen interest in the younger family members and was completely understanding of PWS and how it affected Alistair.
Whenever we met up, she would whisper to me that she had left something in her will to the PWSA. I was too embarrassed to ask exactly what she meant. To my surprise, when her will was read, we discovered that she had left a percentage of her estate to the PWSA – not a huge amount but not insignificant either.
Auntie Rose had a different surname to us and she hadn’t informed the Association that they were a beneficiary from her will, so it was a bit of a mystery to the PWSA staff as to what her connection was to the syndrome when they were informed of her legacy. It was during a chance conversation with Karen at PWSA UK that I mentioned to her about Auntie Rose. It was only then that the Association were able to join the dots and connect us with that legacy.
The money has already been put to good use by the Association to fund new projects and also to fund research. It couldn’t have been timed better for the Association.
The moral of the tale is:
- A legacy of any size is invaluable to the Association.
- Remember to include a donation to the PWSA in your will and to encourage family members to do the same.
- Let the Association know what your intentions are.
- It is a delicate subject but one that can be addressed in a sensitive way and will have a long lasting impact.
- Survival of the Association is critical for everyone, not only those who are directly affected by the syndrome.
Legacies make a real difference.
Find out more about remembering PWSA UK in your will
here.
