My Gift for Future Generations

I’m Jakki Travers and I wanted to tell you why I’ve chosen to leave a gift in my Will to support Children’s Medical Research Institute.

One. I’m absolutely passionate about medical research! Which is one of the reasons I work here!

And Two. I want to give back after I’ve gone. I really believe that leaving a gift in your Will to a charity will lead to a better world for all of us!

My children used to laugh at me when I said that I was leaving a gift in my Will to charity. But now that they’re all adults and have charities that they support, they totally understand my reasons.

In fact my youngest daughter really gets it, and tells me she is so proud that I’m doing something. She’s a midwife, and I’ve heard so many stories from her about tiny babies being delivered suffering from terrible symptoms associated with genetic diseases.

The pain and suffering these babies and their families go through is heartbreaking, so anything I can do to help - both now and in the future – is so important to both of us.

Research has come so far over the years that diseases that we once thought were life-threatening to little children are now treated routinely. That’s what I believe will be the case in the future with the research now being carried out into genetic diseases.

Imagine a world where we can routinely use gene therapy to cure genetic disease by fixing the error in the child’s DNA? Or a world where we can kill the cancer, without harming the child!

I believe we are close to these being a reality, and that’s why I support CMRI through a regular monthly gift, taking part in Jeans for Genes, and leaving a small percentage of my estate to help after my death.

It really doesn’t take much, but take it from me, every little bit helps us to get closer to a better world for all of us.