Nurse taking care of ill husband joins legion of do-it-yourself makers of masks
All over the country do-it-yourself makers are creating personal protective equipment (PPE) to help medical staff stay safe as they care for those infected with COVID-19 disease.
The makers are finding ways to shape desperately needed face shields using 3-D printing and plastics from alternative sources. They are discovering methods to create ventilators to donate to hospitals.
And there is a massive public challenge to sew and donate masks for all the nurses exasperated by shortages.
Connie Ryan of High Pines, Miami, is one of those makers.
A former longtime operating room nurse who still maintains her license, Ryan must stay home to care for her husband, Tom Bales, who has severe heart issues.
“Observing the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted so badly in my heart to help somehow, but had to weigh that with my need to protect Tom,” Ryan said. “Were I to somehow volunteer to help outside our home, I would not be able to come back to the house. So we decided to voluntarily isolate ourselves about 10 days ago.”
They are hoping their self-isolation will encourage more in Miami to do the same.
But that has not stopped her from helping others.
“I decided to get sewing,” she said. “I have sewn most of my life and it is relaxing to me. First, I worked on a quilt for a friend’s first grandbaby, and it went together quickly since I am on ‘house arrest’ here. But I was wishing I could do something for the cause.
“My eldest son, Will, invited me to the Open Source Covid19 medical supplies Facebook page and I read all the pages. There I started to see info about folks making cloth masks to donate to hospitals, this really hit home with me,” she said. “I have friends that all sew so I figured out if the pattern online was accurate I would share that and kick off production. We are all in.”
She is hoping to be contacted by the hospitals she has reached out to.
So far, with the components she was able to get, Ryan has been able to make more than 20 masks to give to medical friends who she said are scared they will run out. They have asked Ryan to make them.
“They are being told to use one mask per shift, and they are scared,” Ryan said. “The supply just isn’t coming. My friends and I are standing by if we get a yes from a hospital then we’ll start sewing.”
She uses cotton fabric with a tight weave, fusible nonwoven interfacing, 1/4- inch knit elastic “or make your own thread from the cotton,” and thread.
“With years in the OR, I know how a mask should fit and feel. I knew there was no way I could get whatever I made tested for filtration efficiency, and I knew it would never replace a N95, but when I saw nurses were being told to wear a single mask for their entire 8- to 12-hour shift, I knew I had to make some.”
“One of my Eagle Scouts, the son of a friend, ran to JOANN Fabrics and brought me the items I needed and I started sewing this past weekend,” Ryan said.
She and Bales have been married 32 years. Their other two sons are in the Boston area.
The entire family has long been involved in Scouting, and Ryan has volunteered with a nonprofit called Haiti Healthy Kids based out of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
“I have gone with teams of pediatric neurosurgeons, nurses and surgical techs to do surgery on children in Haiti,” she said. “Sadly, we have had to cancel our last two trips due to civil unrest in Haiti, but I do hope to return when things are safe for us to go.
“Making these masks is a small help in a big problem.”
If you want to reach out, write to Ryan at connie.starhouse@gmail.com
Readers sharing gratitude
In these uncertain times of COVID-19, Annabel Beyra wrote me to say she is “grateful for family and friends and a simple act of kindness.”
“I’ve noticed that through technology people are giving of their talents free during this time of crisis. I’m grateful to each of them,” Beyra said.
“Carrie Castro, formerly known as Zumba Carrie (she’s now a Realtor) gave us an hour of Zumba via Zoom. I invited friends and family members. She gave us an hour of pure happiness. I am hoping she’ll do more of these. I think she’s planning on it.
“Also, Arnold Rodriguez, Instagram: arnoldbodywork, who happens to be my cousin, delivers Laughter Yoga. He conducted a special class just for my family but he’s doing it online for all as well,” Beyra said.
“Laughter yoga [Hasyayoga] is a modern exercise involving prolonged voluntary laughter. This type of yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides similar physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. It is usually done in groups, with eye contact and lots of playfulness between participants. Intentional laughter often turns into real and contagious laughter.
“I cannot tell you how much happier my heart felt after the session with Arnold yesterday. He gave me and my family members reasons to smile and laugh.”
Laughter Yoga Classes in Your Living Room will be Sundays at 10 a.m. Launch Zoom and go to https://zoom.us/j/4764752883 You can follow Arnold Body Work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/arnoldbodywork/ for updates.
The Virtual Zumba class by Carrie Castro Garcia will be Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. Go to https://us04web.zoom.us/j/858872349 to join in.
South Arts awards artists
Nine visual artists in the Southern Region of the United States will each receive a $5,000 State Fellowship, and are now in competition for the $25,000 Southern Prize with a residency at The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. They are also up for the $10,000 Southern Prize Finalist awards.
South Arts, the nonprofit regional service organization that advances Southern vitality through art, honored Miami composer Alba Triana with a 2020 State Fellowship.
“As a sound/intermedia artist, receiving this award means that institutional patrons in our region understand that, in the era of digitalization and interconnectivity, new art forms need to emerge,” Triana said.
“South Arts is immensely proud to support every one of these artists, craftspeople and tradition-bearers,” said Susie Surkamer, executive director.
“Especially as our country enters the economic disruption caused by COVID-19, artists are among those most vulnerable to losing income. Yet their creativity, work, and stories are what carry us forward and will be integral to rebuilding our communities.”
Go to www.southarts.org to see winning artists learn more about the group’s mission.
If you have news or gratitude stories for this column, please write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com