Inspired by a news story about the shortage of personal protective equipment, Elaine Suderio-Tirone, an assistant professor of Nursing, recruited her teenage daughter, her brother, and her sister-in-law to help her sew and donate cloth masks.
In addition to long shifts each week treating COVID-19 patients at a local hospital, a typical day for Suderio-Tirone and her family was to sew from 7 a.m. up to 3 a.m. the following day. They kept up this grueling pace for several months.
At last count, Suderio-Tirone and her team had made about 3,000 masks. They have been sent all over the country, including California, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
In New York, Good Samaritan Hospital received Suderio-Tirone’s first 50 masks. She sent more to the Dyson Center for Cancer Care, Stony Brook University Hospital, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, area nursing homes, and even community members in need – from post office workers to the elderly.
“It’s good to know that we are able to provide masks and help, in some degree, to slow down the spread of the virus and protect the community,” said Suderio-Tirone.
In recognition of her selfless work to save lives, Suderio-Tirone was named one of the area’s COVID Healthcare Heroes by the Dutchess County Medical Society in July 2020.