The mom of a daughter with cancer pleads people to stop buying preventive masks in bulk
It comes to no surprise that the thoughts on everyone's mind right now are mostly related to the coronavirus outbreak. As the number of cases across the globe continues to climb exponentially, so do our preoccupations concerning it. In the United states, it seems as though people are competing against each other to get to the supermarket and pharmacy. This, of course, as one mother on Facebook puts it, has caused a shortage in medical supplies for people who actually need them to survive.
Christine Fego Martin, the mother of a young daughter with cancer, posted an open letter on Facebook, imploring people to think before they purchase preventive masks.
via Yahoo News
On March 3, 2020, Christina posted, "She hates this mask. But it’s extremely important she has it. She and other kids whose immune systems are compromised because they are being called to fight the biggest monster ever: cancer." Christine's post continues, "So if your fear of coronavirus has you stocking up on these, please stop. Take your fear and put your attention on washing your hands, wiping down your shopping cart, or sanitizing your hands after pumping gas. Use your elbow to push the elevator button... be a more conscious human so the kids and families who need these annoying preventative masks can actually access them."
Surely, Christine's post puts a lot of things into perspective. For healthy people, the best thing we can do to keep ourselves from getting sick is to wash our hands and pratice social distancing. Although wearing a mask might make us feel safer, we're putting other people - who need to wear them to survive - unnecessarily at risk. So the next time you're online - about to order 10 boxes of preventive masks for your 4-person household - take a minute to ask yourself: do you need those masks as badly as a cancer patient does?
