Charitable Organizations as Legacy

Have you ever had that moment where you just know something is meant for you? It could be having children as your legacy, or it could be something completely different. And both are valid.

We're getting a little personal in this one (something I don't tend to do very often, so uh, bear with me).

I was recently denied the ability to become an egg donor.

And this reminded me that:

I still don't want children as my legacy.

As a 28-year-old woman, I wanted to donate my eggs to someone that needed them! I have Sjogren's syndrome without presenting symptoms, but I have the antibodies. In particular, the anti-Ro SSA antibodies would make pregnancy high-risk. Now, I haven't thought of myself as a mother as my 'end-all-be-all' job. And this just makes it that much more clear that I would have to really want children to go through a high-risk pregnancy.

Anyhow, I was under the assumption that these antibodies would only affect the child in utero. But autoimmune disease and antibodies are often misunderstood, so this could be the case. Potential egg recipients probably would shy away from someone with a disease that they hadn't heard of and is associated with high-risk pregnancy, in any case. I also have a suspected autoimmune disease in conjunction with Sjogren's, but I am feeling fine so I really don't care, and I digress.

Egg donation, in and of itself, is a controversial topic. Children are traditionally thought of as your legacy, your meaning in life, your reason to live and foster something that lives on much longer than you are physically capable of. However, I have this yearning inside of me to do something greater. Not that children aren't great. I love kids, really I do. I see the amazing mothers that my friends continue to be daily. It's a thankless job, most times. And, perhaps, you are fond of passing on your family name for generations.

But we do have an overpopulation problem. This goes for the living and the dead.

So, I want my name to be known for helping dead people.

Sound weird? Yeah, most people think so, too. But it hit me today: honorable foundations live on much longer than their founders. My name can be associated with my true calling in life: to help people. Helping the dead simultaneously helps the living, after all. It will help:

• the planet;

• forestation;

• reduction of soil and water toxicity;

• advancements in technology to deal with remains (like Promessa);

• poverty-stricken communities to be able to have proper burials;

• oxygen levels;

• climate change;

• eradicating overcrowded, unkempt cemeteries;

• dealing with the rising death toll;

• preserving OTHERS' legacies;

• and so many more reverberating positive effects.

Why wouldn't I want to dedicate my whole life to doing something like this?

The death industry is flourishing.

In fact, there are more Americans than ever choosing cremation. And, if you think about it, we'll never stop dying. It's an industry that is ever-lasting. I want to make it more accessible to the public. Let's come together and get this done.

Eco-friendly burials are gaining in popularity, but I want them to be mainstream. I want anyone to be able to be buried in a way that is modern and helps the environment. My ultimate dream is to offer free eco-friendly burials in an accessible modern park. I want to make it a reality so badly.

Local nationalization of Currant is my dream. It is my legacy. It will be my legacy. Currant will live on much longer than I will. And it has dead people to thank - and living people to help propel it forward.

So, no, I don't want children. But I want all of you to be my children (as cheesy as that sounds) for generations and generations to come. In every town, I want there to be eco-friendly, aesthetically pleasing burial options. You shouldn't be "too poor" to be buried the way you want. Life is too short (and death is too long).

Thanks for listening (reading). I'm feeling some type of way today, so this won't happen often. But I'll keep pushing for our mission of modern cemeteries in the US. Let us know if you'd like to help!

- Beth, Founder of Currant.