Some light during a dark time, Support Our Troops was there for them How the COVID-19 Emergency Grant helped reduce a military couple’s stress of a recent breast cancer diagnosis and service-related self-isolation. Elizabeth Morris and her husband, now serving in his 30th year with the Royal Canadian Air Force, received a COVID-19 Emergency Grant to help reduce the stress associated with moving across the country, a recent breast cancer diagnosis, and service-related self-isolation. Here’s their story: For our family, Support Our Troops’ financial support came at a critical time, a time of considerable emotional and physical turmoil. As often is the case in the Canadian Armed Forces, members are required to travel away from home to serve on a military mission. In this instance, my husband was called to serve in Washington, D.C., during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was required to remain in quarantine for 14 days upon his return to our home in Joint Base Lewis McChord in the state of Washington. At the same time we were also grappling with my recent breast cancer diagnosis. The emotional toll of organizing treatment in a country that, like the rest of the world, was closing down was overwhelming to say the least. Life for us all but stood still. Support Our Troops was there for our family when we needed it the most. The COVID-19 Emergency Grant allowed my husband to self-isolate away from our primary residence upon returning to Washington State. We are now reunited as a family and life has returned to a new normal, considering the circumstances. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Support Our Troops team for providing a safety net and allowing our family to thrive once again during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Through this experience I have come to realize that I am not impervious to pain or struggle, and that it is okay to ask for help when the need arises. ~ The COVID-19 Emergency Grant is intended to provide temporary financial relief for military members and their families struggling to meet basic needs during the pandemic. Since mid-March, Support Our Troops has supported 92 families.