It is tempting to believe, before you reach 50, that you are somehow going to live forever and that making a Will, or otherwise making provision for possible sudden death or incapacity, is not even featuring anywhere on your internal radar.
Like many people, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of talented Masterchef semi-finalist Matt Campbell recently. A keen sportsman and seemingly fit and healthy, Matt collapsed at the 22.5m stretch of the London Marathon, and later died in hospital aged only 29. Hailed by fellow chefs and food critics as an outstanding talent, Matt clearly had a rosy career ahead of him, including a book deal planned for publication later this year.
And a friend of mine had to help her son deal with the tragic death of his 25 year old best friend and former schoolmate, in a seaplane crash in Australia at the start of the year; an accident which wiped out an entire family in one terrible blow.
Then there is Stieg Larsson, creator of the Lisbeth Salander “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” character, who collapsed and died of a sudden heart attack aged 50 after walking up the steps to his flat. He sadly died before any of his novels were published and who had said that he had “10 books [about Salander] in his head” still waiting to get written down!
We all know teenagers sometimes do crazy things but who would have thought that a spur of the moment dare on a boys’ night out could have led to 19 year old rugby player Sam Ballard becoming a quadriplegic after stupidly showing off to his mates and eating a slug which happened to be infected with lungworm.
None of us is immortal, even though it might be difficult to face up to our own mortality or possible incapacity when we are young and life is in full flow. Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney should not just be for the elderly or those who know already that they are close to death. Without sounding morbid, tragedy could always be just around the corner and our loved ones deserve to know that for a relatively small cost, we have put provisions in place that help protect and support them if the worst were to happen to any of us.
Call Nathan or Nicola at Jarmans Solicitors now on 01795 472291 for a free and friendly discussion about your testamentary and incapacity requirements and make sure your loved ones are looked after properly.
