Part of our Together While Apart campaign, #MyMaskMyStory is a collection of personal accounts from individuals with deep ties to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include those who have volunteered, those who have donated, and those who have received.
Edited by Dilber Shatursun
“The pandemic has really hit elder people in nursing homes very hard. And, it hit us very hard as well, which is extremely sad. But, we are here to care for and bring loving comfort to these residents no matter what happens. We’ve accompanied them through their illness; some we have accompanied all the way to heaven’s doorstep- to help them into the arms of God. And many have recovered and are living happy lives.”
“We are still in quarantine. We can’t let the residents out of their rooms, and we need personal protective equipment when someone tests positive. We need all of the masks, gowns, and so forth [again and] again, so we always are concerned about having enough to make it. But, God sent us good people like [Tzu Chi].”
“I was very excited when I heard that you were going to donate PPE because we are truly concerned about [having] the supply. We know there’s supposedly another wave coming with the coronavirus. We know our elderly people are very, very fragile and vulnerable, and even our staff who work with us, they come and go on public transportation and it’s so easy for the germs to spread. So this is a great blessing and you are just instruments of God. And we know He always sends us good people in the time of need.”
“Little Sisters of the Poor, we have homes all over the world. We are in 32 countries, and we cherish all the different cultures who are part of our work. And it brings out the beauty and the goodness of all who unite together to be instruments of God’s love and help for others.”
Sister Carolyn Martin is an administrator of Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Mary’s Home in Chicago, IL. She received two donations of PPE on April 30 and July 10 from Tzu Chi Midwest. The donations included 4,300 surgical masks, 600 isolation gowns, 500 medical masks, 200 goggles, 10 bags of instant rice from the Jing Si Abode in Taiwan. Catch up on the entire #MyMaskMyStory collection here.
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