Retired Nurse Theresa to leave a gift in her will 30 March 2023 Theresa Douglas has seen at first hand the difference a gift in your will can make to the work of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. Donations made through a will help us to deliver vital services to thousands of Scots living with chest, heart and stroke conditions every year. So, when Theresa was sitting down to sort out her own will, she wanted to ensure the charity would be a beneficiary. Theresa, 63, is vice-chair of CHSS and has served on the organisation’s board of trustees for the last seven years. “Doing this for myself gave me an opportunity to think seriously about my own legacy Losing her own mother to a massive stroke and caring for her dad following a double heart bypass meant CHSS was the obvious choice when she decided to get involved with a charity. She said: “I’m a nurse who retired about 18 months ago, and my husband and I were writing our wills – we wanted to get our ducks in a row about things like power of attorney if either of us got ill or became incapacitated. “I’d worked with people with dementia stuck in hospital because no decisions could be made about their care without a power of attorney. I always encouraged people to make a will or write an advance directive that sets out what medical treatments you want or don’t want in future. I want to leave something in memory of both my mum and my dad whose lives were affected by heart and stroke conditions.” “Doing this for myself gave me an opportunity to think seriously about my own legacy. I decided I wanted to give a percentage to CHSS because I see first-hand the work it does. “Its values and person-centred, community-based approach match my own. “I’ve heard people speak about the life-changing help they have received from CHSS. So I want to leave something in memory of both my mum and my dad whose lives were affected by heart and stroke conditions.” Theresa will step down from her role on the CHSS board at the next AGM in November. But she plans to stay very much involved with the charity, having started to do some volunteering. And she’s also busy training her 18-month-old Australian labradoodle Autumn to become a therapy dog. Where leaving a legacy is concerned, it’s a no-brainer for Theresa. She said: “I might need help in the future – you never know. I see this as a way of paying back.” Find out more about leaving a gift in your will and leave a legacy of hope.