A Villages doctor’s daughter who has been making protective masks for healthcare workers is offering easy instructions for local residents who want to help out amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Lynda Cowin Nijensohn, whose father is local orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Cowin, lives in the Boston area and has been busy making masks for medical providers in her area and here in the tri-county area. The business consultant has been joined by her two children, 14-year-old Mariana and 12-year-old Jed, in the effort as well.
With the Coronavirus continuing to sweep across the United States and medical supplies in short supply, Nijensohn created a Facebook page for those interested in making masks, as well as a YouTube instructional video.
Click HERE to visit the Facebook page and see the video below:
Nijensohn said the easy-to-make masks require just six stiches. Her simple-to-follow steps are listed below:
- Cut a piece of fabric 12 x 14. Cut 3/4” wide 36”-48” long stretchy tie like T-shirt or jersey or 48” long tie with no give.
- Finish the two 12-inch sides.
- Fold right sides together so that the finished edges meet and overlap about an inch in the middle to kind of look like a tissue holder.
- Sew the left and right edges of the “tissue holder.”
- Turn right-side-out.
- Fold over about 3/4” to the back where the opening is the left and right sides to make a channel for your tie and sew in place.
- Use a safety pen to run a tie through the two channels.
- Knot ends of tie.
Nijensohn is a breast cancer survivor who runs the Boston Marathon every year to raise money for the Dana Barber Cancer Institute. Her father was one of the first to offer care for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing seven years ago. Her mother, former state Sen. Anna Cowin, also rendered aid to victims in the moments after the tragedy took place.
