When COVID-19 came to Texas in March, everyone’s lives changed. Community activities and sporting events were canceled. So were hugs, handshakes and large social gatherings. Classes moved online. And jobs, for those lucky enough to work, went remote.
Out of all the daily changes COVID-19 brought, the most visible had to be masks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks are a critical component to limiting the spread of the virus, whether they’re high-grade N95 respirator masks, medical masks or cloth masks sewn at home. All varieties started selling out quicker than toilet paper, leaving many health care workers, first responders and elderly citizens at risk.
But that wouldn’t be the case for long. Local residents rose to the occasion to produce protective gear for those who needed it, ensuring everyone would be looked after in the COVID-19 era.
COVID-19 CONCERNS
By the time Texas saw its first presumptive positive case on March 4, the United States was already preparing for a mask shortage. Essential workers were performing many of their tasks without masks, and many medical professionals were reusing personal protective equipment beyond what was considered safe. Clariden School 2020 graduate Coby Warner remembered this every time his mom went to work as an anesthesiologist.
“I was worried about her health,” Coby says. “They had a lack of face masks, and when [COVID-19] becomes aerosolized, it becomes a real threat. She needed a way to protect herself.”
Then there were the older residents to think about as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 80% of COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. came from adults 65 and older, with 10-27% coming from adults 85 or older. The Fellowship United Methodist Church in Trophy Club had those statistics in mind when they closed in March.
“A lot of our members are retired, older and in their 70s and 80s,” church member Dr. Katie Simpson says. “A number of them have compromised immune systems, so protecting them first was top of mind for the church.”
The men and women serving the Southlake Fire and Police Departments were a different story. Although emergency medical services already had a reasonable amount of PPE for responding to calls, Battalion Chief Jeremy Blackwell saw they were rapidly consuming their supply.
“Seeing the trends and seeing what was needed and recommended for treating and caring for these patients, we knew we were going to have to increase that stock at some point,” Chief Blackwell says. “With the potential for a surge and with the numbers increasing, we needed to work vigilantly with the state, suppliers and our vendors in order to maintain that.”
Over the course of March, cases of COVID-19 in Texas increased from five to 3,266 cases and 41 deaths, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. As cases grew and PPE was diminishing, the question remained about how Texans were going to protect each other.
SEWING SAFETY
Southlake got to work. Eubanks Intermediate School music teacher Megan Von Dreau was one of the first to fight the pandemic with her sewing machine. Making clothes, quilts and bedding for as long as she could remember, Megan says a neighbor asked for her help to sew masks for the rehab facility where she worked. After finding a pattern she liked and making minor adjustments, Megan sewed about 250 masks for facility staff, health care workers and some of her neighbors.
“I have only seen a few of my masks in the wild, but each time I am tickled that I was able to give that person something they needed and could use,” Megan says. “Wearing a mask reflects a responsibility to your community. It's something you do for others.”
Shelli and Brett Nickel also sewed and collected masks. The pair started making and collecting donations from their friends and neighbors and sharing them with local police departments and medical clinics. Brett estimates they’ve shared upwards of 1,000 masks with first responders.
“The need is growing exponentially every day,” Brett says. "There is a huge need to fill and we’re just trying to keep up with the demand.”
Dr. Katie Simpson’s Creative Christian Women group from Fellowship United Methodist Church (Connie White, Gretchen Biery, Judy Johnson, Becky Freeland, Deborah Jewell and herself) made more than 4,000 masks, giving 400 away to their most vulnerable church members and donating the rest to community partners such as Metroport Meals on Wheels, Texas Oncology in Grapevine, Southlake Kroger and local police and fire departments.
“We just jumped on it,” Katie says. “We wanted to be proactive. We’d rather make masks that don’t get used rather than people suddenly be in serious danger because we weren’t well-equipped.”
ENGINEERING INNOVATION
While Katie, Shelli, Megan and other residents were busy sewing, others were working on high-grade solutions. Local anesthesiologist Dr. Peter Baek collaborated with the health care product development company Invene to 3D print reusable ventilators that could be attached to snorkel masks for protective equipment. Dr. Baek says his valves haven’t been FDA-approved, but they’re a suitable replacement if hospitals run out of N95 masks.
“The point of this was to have something in place if or when it runs out,” Dr. Baek explains. “Getting the snorkeling mask itself is the easy part. The hard part is creating the valve that will connect the mask to the filter.”
Dr. Baek isn’t the only one using 3D printers to create PPE. Coby Warner also teamed up with his classmates Grant Sears and Benjamin Weisser to create 3D-printed face shields for medical workers with a design found online that was approved by the Swedish Board of Health.
“We were basically set in stone,” Coby says. “After we entered the code, not much needed to be changed. There’s still some maintenance we have to do here or there, but we can really have this running indefinitely for however long we want.”
Since starting his ventilator initiative, Dr. Baek has manufactured and sent over 100 mask filters to area hospitals, and even a few in New York and Maryland. Coby and his group, meanwhile, have produced over 800 face shields for GRACE Grapevine, the Southlake Fire Department and local clinics and school districts in Fort Worth, Dallas and Arlington.
“I originally started this to protect my mom, but I don’t think anyone expected people to have this big of a need for it,” Coby expresses. “It gives you a bit of sense of duty in what you’re doing.”
SMALL ACTIONS, BIG IMPACT
With hundreds of residents now equipped with masks, Southlake is more prepared for whatever is ahead. Chief Blackwell says he’s grateful to have experienced the community’s support and witnessed so many residents concerned for the well-being of Southlake’s first responders.
“When they talk about we’re all in this together, there’s no doubt that Southlake truly believes that we’re all in this together — that they’re fighting this right alongside us as first responders,” Chief Blackwell says. “They have been very, very helpful throughout this pandemic.”
Small acts like sewing a mask can leave a big impact on residents who need them. Katie remembers that when she goes into Kroger just handing out masks to strangers she passes by in the aisles or when people send letters to her group thanking them for their donation.
“One guy was desperate in Alabama and contacted us because he had masks for him and his wife, but didn’t have any for the kids,” she recalls. “They went out one day to pick up groceries curbside, and one of the boys needed to go inside to the bathroom. He said he felt such shame as a parent for covering himself, but not being able to cover his children. To know that he could take care of his children now because of us was super emotional.”
In other cases, masks have helped Southlake return to some sense of normalcy. Despite having classes and events canceled during their senior year, over 650 Carroll ISD graduates were able to celebrate their graduation ceremony on May 29. And thanks to designer Ame Beanland, all of them were able to wear custom Dragon masks while staying 6 feet apart.
“A great community effort was made to allow the class of 2020 to graduate,” former board of trustees president Sheri Mills says. “Janet McDade, Julie Thannum and Shawn Duhon thought of every possible detail, right down to knowing that a custom face mask by Ame B Designs would be the finishing touch to make this night complete. As a mom of a 2020 graduate, these efforts are greatly appreciated and gave me and my daughter closure on a really sad year.”
Regardless of whatever the future holds, these residents and more have already committed themselves to continue fighting the pandemic by producing masks. Fellowship United’s Creative Christian Women group is still sewing masks over the summer, while Coby is juggling monitoring face shield production and starting college at Rochester Institute of Technology. And although Megan put away her sewing machine, she’s more than happy to bring it back out to help when others need her to.
“Wearing a mask is about protecting those around you from what you could unknowingly be spreading,” Megan says. “My mask is my way to be sure that any illness stops with me. It's the least I could do. It's the least we should all do.”