Grandma Ivana's Headwear: One Hundred Fabric Headwear for Covid-19 Ward Staff

Checkered, striped, with flowers or teddy bears: the fabrics for the bonnets come from old sheets, shirts, and discarded pajamas. They were all sewn by Grandma Ivana, a retired suitcase maker and mother of a doctor in the intensive care unit at Varese Hospital.

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Grandma Ivana's caps for doctors and nurses

One hundred cloth caps to be donated to doctors and nurses of the high intensity medicine department of theVarese hospital, to replace the annoying plastic hats that came with them. Grandma Ivana sewed them by machine, with extreme attention to detail, using the fabric from old sheets, threadbare dishcloths, and some discarded pajamas. 

ALSO READ: In Gallipoli, a seamstress sews 1,000 masks overnight to donate to those in need.

GRANDMA IVANA'S HEADPHONES FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES

Grandma Ivana experienced the Coronavirus emergency firsthand., through the stories of her daughter Maura, a doctor in the very ward dedicated to patients hospitalized for Covid-19 syndrome: grueling shifts, wearing protective clothing for many hours a day and particularly annoying head coverings, made of plastic and not very breathable. 

Dr. Maura Lucchini, a geriatrician working in the high-intensity ward of Varese Hospital to monitor her patients during their hospitalizations, told her mother, a retired suitcase maker, thinking of copying the model of surgical caps used in operating rooms to sew more comfortable ones. 

Grandma Ivana, who lives in the apartment downstairs with her daughter and grandchildren, aged 8 and 15, didn't think twice: she quickly checked the closets and got the sewing machine going. In a very short time, a hundred bonnets made of the most diverse fabrics were made on the table: checked cotton, striped, with little flowers, some even with teddy bears. 

A way to bring a smile to doctors and nurses subjected to extremely demanding work schedules and considerable stress and fatigue.

TO KNOW MORE: Grandma Lina: at 102, she recovers from the coronavirus. And becomes an international star.

CLOTH CAPS FOR CORONAVIRUS DEPARTMENT

 Dr. Lucchini immediately brought them to the ward, giving them to all her colleagues, who deeply appreciated Mrs. Ivana's sweet and selfless gesture. Above all, as she stated in an interview with Varese News.

Since the pandemic emergency began, Grandma Ivana, usually very present in her daughter and grandchildren's lives, has been shut away at home, without any contact with the rest of the family, quite exposed to risk due to the doctor's commitment to the hospital. Her two daughters take care of the grocery shopping, leaving it behind the door, never underestimating the risks and dangers of the pandemic. Even now, with Phase 2 underway, the ward remains vigilant. Despite having closed other high-intensity departments and discharged all hospitalized patients, vigilance remains high. With the difference, however, that at least the doctors and nurses will no longer have itchy skin and constantly messy hair due to disposable caps. All this thanks to Grandma Ivana, who with little effort, in just a few days, and with salvaged materials, has undertaken a significant gesture. A masterpiece of altruism, creativity, and recycling to cope with Phase 2 of the Covid-19 emergency, one of the many beautiful stories of an Italy that knows how to react and dedicate its talents and skills to helping others. 

(Featured image from Varese News // Photo credits: Varese News)

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