Retired pharmacist sews medical masks

Carrie DeFazio Stanley of Cheat Lake has her hands full these days with her toddler son, Britton.

But Carrie, a retired pharmacist, who is now a stay-at-home mother and wife of an infectious disease doctor, Jonathan Stanley of WVU Medicine, wanted to do her part to help during the pandemic. Through talking with family and friends, as well as doing her own research, she came up with the idea of making protective masks.

“I wanted to help protect health care workers,” she said. “That is what absolutely motivated me. I’ve got friends and family in the field.”

So, Carrie said she began doing online research on mask making and to see what others in different countries were doing to fight the spread of the virus.

And since she knew her way around a sewing machine, Carrie said she decided to give it a shot and has made 50 masks in the last two weeks. There is no charge for the masks, said Carrie, adding she has friends distribute them. They are available for free on the front porch of her home.

Carrie makes two kinds of masks using leftover fabric she had from previous sewing projects, such as blankets and yoga mats made for friends. In addition, Carrie said she has re-purposed some of her old clothing for the masks, which take her less than 15 minutes to make.

“One of the masks I made looks like a surgical mask,” said Carrie, adding she strives to make each item unique to the person who will use it. She also uses colorful fabric.

“Happy colors,” she said.

The other style of mask she makes is a bit longer and can be tied at the head as well and fits more securely to the face.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said face masks should be used:

-For essential surgeries and procedures.

-During care activities where splashes and sprays are anticipated.

-During activities where prolonged face-to-face or close contact with a potentially infectious patient is unavoidable.

-For performing aerosol generating procedures, if respirators are no longer available.

The use of protective masks is growing worldwide. In the Czech Republic, for example, they are mandatory for anyone out in public. The New York Times also reported March 27 an infectious disease specialist said they don’t replace social distancing or hand washing, but they are better than nothing.

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