Make a Will Month
“He wants the next person who types a desperate question into a search bar to find more than confusion and dead ends.”
Every August, Make a Will Month reminds us that estate planning is about much more than deciding how our assets will be distributed. It’s about the values we hope to pass on, the people we love, and the causes we believe deserve to thrive long after we’re gone.
For many people, creating a will is one of the most meaningful acts of generosity they will ever make. A legacy gift is a way to ensure that your life’s impact continues, helping future generations receive the same support, opportunities, and hope that mattered to you.
At the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA), legacy gifts are already transforming what is possible for people living with dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, and other vestibular disorders. They are helping us build innovative programs, expand access to care, and ensure that no one has to navigate a vestibular disorder alone.
Margaret Possert’s Legacy Is Already Changing Lives
Earlier this year, VeDA received a remarkable estate gift from longtime supporter Margaret Possert.
Margaret believed deeply in VeDA’s mission to ensure vestibular disorders are widely recognized, rapidly diagnosed, and effectively treated. Her generosity has become foundational to some of the most ambitious initiatives in our organization’s history.
Because of Margaret’s legacy, VeDA has accelerated work on several transformative programs, including:
- A referral initiative designed to help patients connect more quickly with knowledgeable vestibular healthcare providers.
- A national vestibular second opinion program that will provide access to expert guidance for patients facing difficult diagnoses or treatment decisions.
- An AI-powered educational chatbot that will make it easier for patients and caregivers to find reliable, evidence-based information whenever questions arise.
Each of these initiatives addresses one of the greatest challenges vestibular patients face: finding trustworthy answers and the right care before months—or even years—are lost searching.
Margaret’s generosity is already helping shorten that journey for countless people she will never meet.
That is the extraordinary power of a legacy gift.
“One desperate morning, he asked Siri, ‘Why do I wake up dizzy all the time?’ That search led him to VeDA.”
When Hope Began with a Search
Louis Ramirez spent his career solving complex problems in high-pressure leadership roles, from corporate finance to serving as Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
But nothing prepared him for the day his own body became the problem he couldn’t solve.
What began as eye strain and headaches while scrolling on his phone gradually evolved into debilitating brain fog, sound sensitivity, dizziness, imbalance, and a loss of independence so profound that walking to the mailbox or grocery shopping became nearly impossible.
Like so many people living with vestibular disorders, Louis began an exhausting search for answers.
He saw optometrists, ophthalmologists, ENTs, and his primary care physician. He endured countless tests, tried medications that caused severe side effects, and received conflicting explanations—but no real diagnosis.
Then, one morning, exhausted and desperate, he asked Siri:
“Why do I wake up dizzy all the time?”
That simple search changed everything.
Through VeDA, Louis finally found language for what he was experiencing. He discovered educational resources that made sense of his symptoms and learned how to find the right kind of care.
He connected with vestibular specialists, skilled physical therapists, neuro-optometric care, mental health support, and nutrition resources.
Recovery wasn’t quick. It wasn’t easy.
But little by little, Louis reclaimed his life.
Today, he enjoys walking, fishing, going out to dinner, and participating in life again. He describes it not as returning to his old life, but as discovering a meaningful “new normal.”
Louis now supports VeDA through annual giving and has also chosen to include VeDA in his estate plans.
He knows that his outcome depended on finding information and resources that far too many patients never discover.
His legacy gift reflects a simple hope:
That the next person searching desperately for answers will find a clearer path than he did.
Why Legacy Gifts Matter
Legacy gifts allow nonprofits to think beyond today’s needs and invest in tomorrow’s possibilities.
They provide the confidence to launch new programs, respond to emerging opportunities, and build solutions that will serve people for years to come.
For VeDA, legacy gifts help us:
- Expand patient education and support.
- Improve access to vestibular specialists.
- Invest in innovative technology.
- Advance patient-centered research.
- Strengthen healthcare professional education.
- Build programs that make diagnosis and treatment more accessible.
Every legacy gift becomes an investment in the future of the vestibular community.
What Is a Legacy Gift?
A legacy gift—also called a planned gift—is simply a charitable gift arranged now that will be realized in the future.
Many people choose to support organizations they care about by:
- Including them in a will or living trust.
- Naming them as a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy.
- Leaving a percentage of their estate after loved ones are provided for.
- Creating a charitable trust or other planned giving arrangement.
You don’t have to be wealthy to make a lasting difference. Many legacy gifts come from people of modest means who simply want their values to live on through causes they care about.
- Learn more about legacy giving options.
Your Story Can Become Someone Else’s Hope
Everyone touched by a vestibular disorder remembers the uncertainty.
The unanswered questions.
The endless appointments.
The feeling that no one seemed to understand.
Legacy giving transforms those experiences into hope for someone else.
It says:
“I know how hard this journey can be. I want to make it easier for the next person.”
That gift may educate thousands of patients, help a family find answers sooner, support new research, or connect someone with the specialist who changes their life.
The donor may never meet the people whose lives they touch.
But those lives are changed forever.
Join VeDA’s Legacy Society
This Make a Will Month, we invite you to consider the impact you hope to leave behind.
If VeDA has made a difference in your life—or in the life of someone you love—please consider including the Vestibular Disorders Association in your estate plans.
- Make a pledge to support VeDA with your estate planning.
By doing so, you’ll become part of VeDA’s Legacy Society, a special community of supporters who are ensuring that future generations of vestibular patients have access to trusted information, expert care, and hope.
If you have already included VeDA in your will or estate plans, we hope you’ll let us know. We’d love the opportunity to thank you, welcome you into the Legacy Society, and recognize your generosity (if you wish) while ensuring we understand and can honor your intentions.
Together, we can build a future where no one facing dizziness or imbalance has to search alone.
Because the greatest legacy isn’t measured by what we leave behind.
It’s measured by the lives we help change.
