In early 2024 the worst thing imaginable happened to Julie and her family.
Eric – her husband, her children’s father, a son, a friend – died unexpectedly. Julie woke up one morning to find him.
“Life just started happening, and we had to sit back and watch the tragedy unfold, as if we were watching a movie, feeling helpless.”
Thankfully, Julie was not helpless. She courageously moved forward with the support of her family, friends, and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.
The Outer Banks Relief Foundation paid three months of Julie’s critical household expenses – mortgage, utilities and auto insurance – while she planned her future.
“Our family prefers to be on the giving end of things, but this time we were humbled to be on the receiving end. We truly would not have gotten through the months after the tragedy without your help.”
Although Eric’s sudden death is one of the hardest things Julie and their two children will ever experience, she acknowledges that it has given them some gifts. They have learned to respect each situation life offers, no matter how difficult. They now know that there is hope and growth to be found within life’s worst sufferings. And, today, they can experience their everyday struggles more “lightly.”
Julie told us how important it is for her to connect with each person that made her family’s assistance possible:
“We have such a great respect for our community and for the Outer Banks Relief Foundation. We thank every person that works at the foundation and every individual, family, and business that has found it in their hearts to donate to such a wonderful cause.”
