I lived in my family’s basement for two weeks and it led to the beginning of a face mask design that will go on to outperform an N95 mask along with 70 others. I slept on the ripped, old couch that we converted into a bed, balanced a lamp on a stack of books next to the couch to act as a reading light, and will soon make it my new focus to help my community by sewing face masks. In late March 2020, mask shortages were on every news headline. I was worried about my father, who is an essential worker at age 63, eventually having to work without a mask. My fears spiked one morning when my mom and I noticed my dad was alone in the living room wrapped in a blanket shivering but simultaneously sweating. At that moment I was scared to breathe as if each breath held a toxic mist that was already seeping into and burning my lungs. He was instantly banished into my parents room, my mom took over my room, and I was sent to the basement couch. That first sleepless night, I started my research on COVID-19. What started as basic CDC guidelines on health and face coverings led to Peter Tsai and his life dedicated to perfecting the creation of the surgical and N95 mask. I fell down a rabbit hole of studies on fabrics with hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties. If I was going to make my dad a mask, it had to be effective. This deep dive into fabric research led me to Dr. Rosenblatt and his upcoming study on the permeability of common fabrics at Northeastern University. My mother is a professional seamstress. She always makes my skating dresses and clothing. I have never been able to walk around my house without finding a spare piece of thread that has escaped from the basement by clinging onto our clothing. I thought that if she could make a skating dress from scratch, she could easily help me sew my dad a mask if I find the right fabric. If it turns out well, we can contact Dr. Rosenblatt about entering the mask into his study. Our ambition grew almost as fast as our excitement. We collaborated on different shapes, patterns, and styles that would perform the best. My mom and I jumped from design to design testing them out and seeing which felt the most secure around the face. Three weeks and five broken sewing needles later, we came up with a prototype and submitted it to be researched at Northeastern University. It wasn’t until late May when I got the final paper sent to me. The mask my mom and I designed tested to not only be more effective than cotton but more effective than the N95 mask. The days I spent hibernating in the office with my research as well as in the cold basement with the sewing machine was all worth it to get that one moment. This did however mean my work was just beginning. With the support of my mom, we got the SheldonGMask patent pending and our website up and running after the publication of the Northeastern study. Between sewing 156 for my skating organization and countless masks for individual consumers, we were able to donate 150 of our hand sewn masks to Cambridge Health Alliance. This past year has tested my perseverance and resilience, however it’s amazing to know that I can help.

I lived in my family’s basement for two weeks and it led to the beginning of a face mask design that will go on to outperform an N95 mask along with 70 others. I slept on the ripped, old couch that we converted into a bed, balanced a lamp on a stack of books next to the couch to act as a reading light, and will soon make it my new focus to help my community by sewing face masks. In late March 2020, mask shortages were on every news headline. I was worried about my father, who is an essential worker at age 63, eventually having to work without a mask. My fears spiked one morning when my mom and I noticed my dad was alone in the living room wrapped in a blanket shivering but simultaneously sweating. At that moment I was scared to breathe as if each breath held a toxic mist that was already seeping into and burning my lungs. He was instantly banished into my parents room, my mom took over my room, and I was sent to the basement couch. That first sleepless night, I started my research on COVID-19. What started as basic CDC guidelines on health and face coverings led to Peter Tsai and his life dedicated to perfecting the creation of the surgical and N95 mask. I fell down a rabbit hole of studies on fabrics with hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties. If I was going to make my dad a mask, it had to be effective. This deep dive into fabric research led me to Dr. Rosenblatt and his upcoming study on the permeability of common fabrics at Northeastern University. My mother is a professional seamstress. She always makes my skating dresses and clothing. I have never been able to walk around my house without finding a spare piece of thread that has escaped from the basement by clinging onto our clothing. I thought that if she could make a skating dress from scratch, she could easily help me sew my dad a mask if I find the right fabric. If it turns out well, we can contact Dr. Rosenblatt about entering the mask into his study. Our ambition grew almost as fast as our excitement. We collaborated on different shapes, patterns, and styles that would perform the best. My mom and I jumped from design to design testing them out and seeing which felt the most secure around the face. Three weeks and five broken sewing needles later, we came up with a prototype and submitted it to be researched at Northeastern University. It wasn’t until late May when I got the final paper sent to me. The mask my mom and I designed tested to not only be more effective than cotton but more effective than the N95 mask. The days I spent hibernating in the office with my research as well as in the cold basement with the sewing machine was all worth it to get that one moment. This did however mean my work was just beginning. With the support of my mom, we got the SheldonGMask patent pending and our website up and running after the publication of the Northeastern study. Between sewing 150 masks for a hospital in Cambridge, 156 for my skating organization, and countless masks for individual consumers, this past year has tested my perseverance and resilience, however it’s amazing to know that I can help.

I lived in my family’s basement for two weeks and it led to the beginning of a face mask design that will go on to outperform an N95 mask along with 70 others. I slept on the ripped, old couch that we converted into a bed, balanced a lamp on a stack of books next to the couch to act as a reading light, and will soon make it my new focus to help my community by sewing face masks. In late March 2020, mask shortages were on every news headline. I was worried about my father, who is an essential worker at age 63, eventually having to work without a mask. My fears spiked one morning when my mom and I noticed my dad was alone in the living room wrapped in a blanket shivering but simultaneously sweating. At that moment I was scared to breathe as if each breath held a toxic mist that was already seeping into and burning my lungs. He was instantly banished into my parents room, my mom took over my room, and I was sent to the basement couch. That first sleepless night, I started my research on COVID-19. What started as basic CDC guidelines on health and face coverings led to Peter Tsai and his life dedicated to perfecting the creation of the surgical and N95 mask. I fell down a rabbit hole of studies on fabrics with hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties. If I was going to make my dad a mask, it had to be effective. This deep dive into fabric research led me to Dr. Rosenblatt and his upcoming study on the permeability of common fabrics at Northeastern University. My mother is a professional seamstress. She always makes my skating dresses and clothing. I have never been able to walk around my house without finding a spare piece of thread that has escaped from the basement by clinging onto our clothing. I thought that if she could make a skating dress from scratch, she could easily help me sew my dad a mask if I find the right fabric. If it turns out well, we can contact Dr. Rosenblatt about entering the mask into his study. Our ambition grew almost as fast as our excitement. We collaborated on different shapes, patterns, and styles that would perform the best. My mom and I jumped from design to design testing them out and seeing which felt the most secure around the face. Three weeks and five broken sewing needles later, we came up with a prototype and submitted it to be researched at Northeastern University. It wasn’t until late May when I got the final paper sent to me. The mask my mom and I designed tested to not only be more effective than cotton but more effective than the N95 mask. The days I spent hibernating in the office with my research as well as in the cold basement with the sewing machine was all worth it to get that one moment. This did however mean my work was just beginning. With the support of my mom, we got the SheldonGMask patent-pending and our website up and running after the publication of the Northeastern study. Between sewing 150 masks for a hospital in Cambridge, 156 for my skating organization, and countless masks for individual consumers, this past year has tested my perseverance and resilience, however it’s amazing to know that I can help.