My mom sewed us some masks.
It has an opening on both sides so we can insert a filter.
My partner ordered the specially approved filter material to cut and insert into the masks, and so now, we are all set.
Masks, so far in Toronto, are not mandatory for the general public (that I know of). Some/many people wear them in stores or on mass transit, some/few do not.
But now we have our own.
Here’s mine:
Here’s the girl child.
Her pjs top says:
I skate like a girl – TRY TO KEEP UP!
Yes she’s still in pjs, doesn’t every kid wear pjs all day now?
Anyway.
I’m not sure if the teenager will wear his, so we asked him if he would consider wearing one if the colour was more subdued, or if it had, say, a hockey emblem on it. He said maybe, but he prefers the disposable ones.
Well it doesn’t really matter right now as he is not going anywhere, and should the schools reopen (which is looking less and less likely) he will probably only need one if he were to take the public transit (which he won’t – we’ll just drive him). Not sure what the protocol in school will be…
In the meanwhile, we heard of one of the kids’ coaches ended up with Covid-19. Possibly picked up at an NHL game in mid-March.
From how he described his 5 week ordeal, it sounds much worse than any flu he’s ever experienced. And this is a guy who is healthy, active, not overweight, doesn’t have any pesky health issues, doesn’t smoke, and is in mid-life (not a senior).
He said he was in so much pain, even his eyelids hurt. He could barely open his eyes. He was very close to being admitted into hospital but it sounds like he managed to avoid needing a ventilator.
He is now finally on the mend a month and a half later. He’s trying to gain his strength back which is difficult when you lose 22 pounds in four weeks.
He’s trying to walk a little and can manage a few minutes before he is out of breath. He is worried about permanent lung damage, among other things.
This is the closest account of an actual experience we’ve heard, from someone we know personally.
Makes me want to scream and thrash around when I hear people call this virus “a little cough” or “just like the flu“.
He certainly didn’t make it sound like it was a minor medical event. He even said “have them call me, I’ll talk to them about the symptoms“.
Sigh.
So, we continue to keep informed, wear our new masks if necessary in places that would increase the risk of transmission, and hope that sooner, rather than later, we find a way to manage life under this new normal.
*Please do your part. Not everyone is as lucky as my kid’s coach.*
Writer of Words, etc 
Claudette I’ve a link you might be interested in.
These different materials can be inserted into the mask, anything from coffee filters to HEPA vacuum filters……… my worry with cotton masks on their own is they can absorb air droplets so the filter is essential.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/best-materials-diy-face-masks-filters_l_5e8ce4c6c5b6e1a2e0fb4ada
The engineer in me has taken over and I’ve been researching how to make my own covid 19 respirator………. we’ll see what happens next!
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Thank you! 🙂 i am working on masks made out of sports jerseys for summer…
Let us know what you find.
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Even though the symptoms and severity vary from person to person, it’s definitely not something I ever want to get.
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He was a severe case. But yeah, I don’t want even a mild version of that. I’ve had flu and that wasn’t pleasant…
Ugh.
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Great advice at the end. I appreciate your sharing the coach’s experience, because this thing is real. Friends lost a sister to COVID last week. COVID is in a family member’s care center…
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There are people who are not taking it seriously because they are missing the link that it is so highly contagious even if you yourself aren’t sick or won’t die from it, you could carry the virus and pass it on to someone who is vulnerable.
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I can tell which customers at our store watch fox news and which ones don’t and I’m not going to say any more about that🤨
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😶
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First of all, I’d love to thank you for this long, yet really valuable article. I must say, this article covers lots of tips that I was not aware of.
Truly this article is worth reading. Thanks a lot for the share.
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Love the skate like a girl quote ! Big thank you for sharing the coach’s experience with Covid 19. Like many serious life experiences – no one knows what it feels like until it happens to them and then you wish others really understood.
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Yes… Sigh.
And that girl…it’s not even an exaggeration. She could easily outskate her older brother, maybe not in speed but definitely in stamina. 😃
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The masks are wonderful! And I get so angry when I hear people say COVID is no worse than the flu! It must be horrible. Best wishes to your coach friend.
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Seriously I think they’re fab (unsure about your coloured pattern tho) and look so much better than the Chinese ‘crap’ you can buy on Amazon….. and THE insertable filters are a new on me. We cannot buy masks over here, your mother should release the pattern sizes and instructions onto the www, seriously I’d buy instructions!………….. I’m actually quite envious.
Being serious though, masks will become mandatory, the new norm and already mandatory (compulsory) in many countries…… as for the UK? Our government response has been a ******* disaster from the beginning!
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She had bits if leftover fabric. Actually I see a lot of colourful masks everywhere these days! But we will probably make a few more, some plain ones for my son. 🙂
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Oh and the pattern came off the internet. Would you like me to send it to you?
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Yes YES PLEASE!……. I think you have my email, anyways thank you and take care.
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I’ll do it a bit later, I want to hit the store before it gets too busy. It’s not even 9 am yet… 🙂
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I sent it to your blog contact. I seem to have misplaced your email. But here is the link anyway.
https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/
We have this filter which comes in a roll and you can cut and insert into mask
https://filti.com/product/filti-face-mask-material/
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🙂 Thank you.
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…….. reading your comment thread, I know of 6 deaths, 4 in a care home 5minutes from my mother, an 84yr old (superstar) nurse at the hospital and a friend’s father with health issues……. as you say this ISN’T flu!
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Yes from what I was told by a friend that just is in recovery, it is nothing like the flu… a whole new beast! cool masks
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Pretty masks! I volunteer with a woman who I now think must have has Covid in February, but at the time I wasn’t as familiar with the symptoms. The last time I saw her was first weekend in March. We’ve been closed ever since.
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My daughter has been fighting it for a little over a month – very scary. She’s in her thirties, active, and a single mom. Not something she would ever want to live through again. To reiterate – this virus is no joke.
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I have been meaning to ask…how is she managing? How are the kids doing?
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She’s on the mend now. Has one daughter – eight – so she wasn’t too difficult. There were a lot of tears all around, and now that the worse is over we can talk about our greatest fears. The day she went to emergency was so tense, as we weren’t sure what would happen and who could bring the virus into their homes. These are heart wrenching times.
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I wish her well. Must have been so hard for her little girl too, and you, likely feeling helpless.
Glad to hear she’s better. I hope she continues to feel better as well.
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Thanks.
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Btw cool masks, my wife has been churning them out as well
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🙂
My mom is very crafty.
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I was lucky as well but not as miserable as him, although i don’t have a fever, it just feels every time i leave the apartment with gloves and mask i still come back home feeling icky. Like everyone out there not wearing a mask/that hasn’t been tested is just openly coughing in the air, i feel like the virus is landing on my clothes, it honestly makes me feel real paranoid
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I get it. There are so many varieties and the way each person handles the virus is different. Come home, drop your clothes, wash everything, have a shower, don’t touch your face before you do…and take care of yourself!
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It effects everyone differently. Some people have a bad cold, others have horrible issues, and some die. But I will tell you…the way this acts…I can’t help but wonder if it was a man made virus
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I make myself not go there…
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I know.
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