Paying Forward the Gift of Possibility

By Sally Schwartz

I like to think I’m worth more to The Lighthouse alive than dead, but after revising my will, I’m not so sure. And that’s okay. What I’ve just signed (and notarized!) feels like an opportunity to make sure the place that matters to me during my life gets a little love after I die.

Everyone enters The Lighthouse’s orbit differently. For me, it started when my eight-week-old nephew was diagnosed with Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), an untreatable retinal disease. The diagnosis had a ripple effect throughout the extended family. It touched all of us.

I saw what it meant for my sister and brother-in-law to receive support for their visually impaired infant. The Lighthouse’s Birth-to-Three Early Intervention Program provided a lifeline through in-home support and education. My nephew reached developmental milestones not through miracles, but through methodology. And my sister and brother-in-law gained confidence to face the future with optimism.

Sally Schwartz and her nephew Alan Brint

My nephew graduated from the Birth-to-Three Program, but I didn’t. I wanted all parents raising an infant with low vision to have access to a Lighthouse educator. I wanted every infant to have the chance to develop along the expected timetable. I wanted for others the care and attention my nephew received.

So, I joined The Lighthouse’s Associate Board. Over the last twenty years, I’ve held nearly every position, and served as president long enough to inspire term-limits. When I ask for sponsorships and donations, I ask from the heart. My own donations come from the same place.

In case it’s not clear, let me reiterate: I’m committed to the Lighthouse. Which begs the question: What else can I do? You know where this is going. Though this publication is called “The Legacy,” my decision isn’t about legacy. It’s about one last stab at control, but in a good way. It’s the same way researchers work to repair or reverse vision loss, that assistive technologies help correct for impairments, and it’s the same way gene therapies can rewrite diagnoses.

As I age, I’m settling into an appreciation for what I can control and what I can’t. Most of the world spins beyond my realm of influence. And yet….

I can control a bequest. I can, through that gift, make sure infants benefit from The Birth-to-Three Program. Make sure adults receive adaptive devices allowing them to work and live independently. Make sure everyone who feels lost when facing an overwhelming diagnosis finds support and guidance.

We all die. So why not lean into the inevitable? Turn it into an opportunity. It feels great offering one last gesture of appreciation to The Lighthouse, knowing that the gift will help others for generations to come.