Thankful for Life Insurance! I am blessed with the presence of our 13-year-old Madisyn Grace. She is compassionate, happy, smart, and talented and wise beyond her years. When she finishes High School Madisyn will have a college fund. Since her birth she has had love, food, clothing and shelter. She remains in the same home her daddy and I had completed just 7 months prior to her arrival. She has had me; her mom to comfort, teach, take care of her basic needs and to completely love her.
For 9 years I did not have to work out of the home, I was privy to being with this love child of ours. To teach her that life has trials and tribulations, events that will shake our soul and tears that will be frequently shed. She has had me to teach her the positive side of life, that no matter what happens in our life we will stick together, love, cherish and take care of one another. We will teach one another how to get through our moments, how not to judge others and how to simply live life in a loving and giving way. Madisyn and I would be an example of not only how to go on in life but to take our tragic circumstance and thrive in our life. Thanks in part to one great man; our financial advisor and my loving husband Mark Jeffrey Wandall.
Two weeks from being a daddy Mark lost his life to a Red Light Runner. He was bold, beautiful and brilliant. Mark prepared our financial life in case of his absence. He loved his family deeply and showed us just how much in his untimely death. We were just two weeks from bringing our child home. If we had waited to purchase #life insurance after Madisyn was born, our lives would have been completely different. I would have had to go right back to work, leaving this newborn and possibly moving out of our home. Life was hard enough at that time, the love of my life, the one that I needed the most was now gone! In an instant! No warning!
Thankful for Life Insurance I was able to concentrate on raising my daughter while managing our grief. Her daddy was physically gone but we would manage financially because he had the foresight to protect us in his absence. This Intangible gift: Life Insurance now became Tangible: life. It was now my turn to lead our little family on a new path. We would concentrate on the love and not the loss. We would show everyone that by receiving life insurance we could make a difference in this world. We would take Marks “token” of love and share our gratitude for this gift that has given us a great start to our newfound life.
The gift of Life Insurance has gone way beyond being able to remain in our own home and protecting our daughter’s future. We have been able to start a foundation: The Mark Wandall Foundation. (http://themarkwandallfoundation.org) that facilitates support for children in grief. We have been able to start a coalition; The STOP Red Light Running Coalition that enabled us to pass a bill, my husbands life saving legacy: The Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act. This Act allows cities and counties in Florida to install Red Light Safety Cameras at the most dangerous intersections in Florida. This law gives a portion of the proceeds to the Miami project to cure paralysis (http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu) as well as a portion of funds to 21 level 1 trauma centers in the State Of Florida.
Due to life insurance my advocacy efforts have led me to become the President of the National Coalition for Safer Roads (http://ncsrsafety.org) and an Influential Speaker. I have had the privilege of speaking to countless Insurance Companies to thank them for being in a business that not only saves lives but changes lives as well. We not only share our gratitude for this business but also encourage financial service professionals to continue urging their clients to prepare their families for the unimaginable.
To the Consumer: Do not wait! Please, do not leave your family empty-handed. Show your family how much you love them. The physical loss is hard enough to manage without the financial burden. “Life is a delicate balance.” We do not sit around and wait for the other “shoe to drop” but we should always prepare for unimaginable events that life affords us all. Life will always happen and always be in motion; the good bad and the down right tragic. Why not prepare? It is our responsibility to those we love the most. Mark “payed it forward” in a beautiful way. His gift has not only affected our lives but that of our Community, State and Nation.
Gratitude goes out to my husband and all of the great financial advisors/planners that work diligently every day to “have our backs.” Financial Planners: Do not give up! You are needed. Always believe that you add value to the family unit. Your voice is needed to encourage families on the great value of Life Insurance.
*Life Insurance in no way takes away the deep emotional pain but it helps you manage your daily life. When loss occurs vision is blurred, small tasks seem huge and the thoughts of getting up the next day and continuing on with your routine no longer exists. With the gift of Life Insurance you can concentrate on managing the physical loss and not the financial.
