Cistercian Families Roll Up Their Sleeves to help in time of crisis

April 8, 2020 | Media

Many Cistercian families have stepped up to give aid to those in need during the coronavirus crisis. Mr. Tim Parker’s wife Amy and their daughters have been sewing much-needed masks for medical personnel.

Cistercian parent Erin Kane is a family doctor at a Baylor clinic that cares for low- income, chronically sick patients. Many of their patients, she says, have food insecurity even in normal circumstances. Last week the clinic made special use of its regular partnership with the NTFB (North Texas Food Bank) to provide food for patients by collecting and delivering food to the homes of patients in need.

Dr. Anjali Shah, the mother of a Form I student, is a physician at UT South-western Medical Center. She continues to go into the hospital seeing patients. Like all medical personnel globally, they are short of protective gear, so for now, have to wear surgical masks the entire time they are in the office. These masks then get sterilized, cleaned and then re-used the following day. When she comes home, she enters through the garage, takes off her shoes/jacket/bag, goes straight up for a shower and washes her hair, then comes back down and wipes down whatever she has touched, prior to anyone touching her.

The student’s uncle, Dr. Arun Gopal, has already seen a number of COVID+ patients at his hospital in Austin. Here he walks into see a COVID+ patient – N95 mask (that he has to reuse as they don’t have enough), surgical mask, face shield, glasses, gloves & gown.

Working under the guidance and direction of parent Dr. Annie Kahn Vaughan, the Cistercian Robotics Club made their first PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for intubation screen yesterday (similar to the one shown at right), and they are also making racks to hold face masks so that they can be disinfected.

Several Middle School students have started volunteering through the Peregrine Army, which they have organized themselves, to perform a variety of services for those who are shut in, including pick up/delivery, yardwork, tech support, distance tutoring, and prayer.

There are so many more members of our Cistercian community who are working to help do whatever they can in this crisis to help medical professionals and their neighbors. We applaud them all and pray for their safety and success in their endeavors.

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