Supporter story

I first began to think about legacy giving because of a practical question: what do I do with something I don’t need?

This ‘something’ was my life insurance pol­icy. I’d taken it out in my twenties, thinking it might be useful someday. But over time, it began to feel unnecessary. I didn’t have a partner or children to leave it to. But get­ting rid of it also felt like a missed opportu­nity. I wanted it to go somewhere it could make a difference.

It was easy for me to choose Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). I’ve spent much of my life living and working in different places – Japan, Mexico, China and Hong Kong. I’ve made many friends who have shared their culture and way of life with me. I value this human connection and that’s what I believe MSF provides. It’s people helping people, even in the most difficult circumstances.

I first started giving to MSF over 20 years ago. I’d written textbooks that became pop­ular and for the first time in my life, I had a bit of extra money. It felt natural to start giving back.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had recently happened. I learned about the work MSF was doing to help, supporting local government relief efforts to provide people with medical care, food, water and shelter. I wanted to be part of it.

Since then, I’ve kept supporting MSF and paying attention to the work their teams are doing around the world. I like that they speak out – not just about big crises, but about the healthcare challenges people are facing in places typically out of the spotlight.

When I decided to make MSF the beneficiary of my life insurance policy, it turned out to be easier than expected. I spoke with my financial advisor, filled in a bit of paperwork and it was done.

I feel a real sense of peace knowing my money will help people. Being a healthcare worker is hard – providing care in a human­itarian crisis must be even harder. But MSF staff continue to show up to support people in some of the most difficult circumstances, and I’m happy that with my gift, I will be helping this vital work continue.