HOWARD NEEDLEMAN Her Legacy to me was always be positive — never give up.

When my wife Harriet passed on, I wanted to ensure that her spirit - as a devoted mother, wife, and speech pathologist - would live on. Reading letters and looking through the photos her friends, family and patients had sent, I felt compelled to share the gift of her life with others. I created a website that celebrated Harriet’s life and work, and experienced a sense of healing, both from writing about her and from knowing that her children and grandchildren would have a vivid, lasting memory of who she was.

I also created two foundations under Harriet’s name. Immensely grateful for the level of care given to Harriet, I established the Harriet L. Needleman Caregiver’s Education Fund, which is used to present seminars on compassionate caregiving to doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. The other foundation, inspired by her belief in the value of continuous learning of new methods and skills, is the Harriet L. Needleman Speech and Language Education Fund, which provides educational seminars to speech pathologists on new resources and techniques in the field.

ON LEGACY
I never consciously considered the website and foundations to be about legacy, but now, looking at the website, I am surprised at how many times I actually referred to "legacy."

I just wanted to DO something, and I did it! (See advice, below.) Reading all the online testimonies about Harriet’s big heart and the two foundations’ mission statements, it seems that I did ensure Harriet’s legacy -- and in a way, created one of my own as well.

ADVICE

2.  Appreciate the power of communication: writing can be an especially healing and cathartic process, and enables others to benefit from your insights.

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