When I first started supporting Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) over 20 years ago, I didn’t imagine that I would one day include them in my will. But the more I learned about their work, the more it felt like the right thing to do. For me, it was a way to keep helping people even after I’m gone

I’ve always believed in the importance of medical care. I grew up in Scotland, where my father and grandfather were both general practitioners. This even led me to train in medicine myself: I studied to be a dietitian at the University of Edinburgh before I moved to Canada in 1955.

Having spent a lifetime working in hospitals in Victoria, B.C., I know how essential it is for everyone to be able to access medical care, no matter who or where they are. This is why MSF’s work speaks to me so strongly. Whether it’s providing surgery to people injured in a conflict or maternity services in a refugee camp, MSF’s teams go wherever people’s needs are greatest.

I know my monthly donations help to make this critical work possible, so leaving a gift in my will felt like a natural extension of the support I have given throughout my life. The gift I am leaving to MSF isn’t a huge sum. But I am happy to know that it will be put to good use: helping to provide people caught in crisis with compassionate care and supporting the training of healthcare workers around the world.

If you too are thinking about leaving a gift in your will, my advice is simple: find an organization that truly reflects your values. For me, it was easy to choose MSF. Their independence, impartiality and focus on medical care all deeply resonate with what I believe in. I’m happy to know that, through my will, I can continue to stand with MSF’s teams and the people they support, even after I’m gone. My final gift will help others, just as I tried to do throughout my life. In this way, my legacy feels like it will be a continuation of what has always mattered the most.