Masks donated to Bellingham hospital mean more than protecting staff from coronavirus
Christy Austin says when her mother, Ervena Yu, gets an idea in her head, “she won’t stop — she’ll work on it day and night until she’s done.”
In this case, it was probably a good thing for her mother — almost cathartic.
How else could she possibly put aside the grief of losing her husband of more than 64 years, Dr. Ming Ho Yu?
And what better way to honor his memory than to sew protective masks for the doctors and nurses at St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham that cared for her husband in his final days, as they prepare to face one of their greatest challenges during the coronavirus pandemic?
Over the past two-plus weeks Austin and Ervena Yu donated more than 100 handmade, reusable masks to the hospital in Dr. Yu’s memory.
“Dr. Kevin Lee took care of my dad, and he was the most compassionate, most empathetic, with the best bedside manner of any doctor I have ever met,” Austin told The Bellingham Herald. “He and the nurses were so kind to my dad. My mom wanted to make sure he was protected against COVID-19 and the nurses are protected and all the ER doctors and nurses are protected.”
These aren’t your typical masks, either.
They’re made of Ultrasuede, a synthetic ultra-microfiber fabric invented in 1970, and use a design that Ervena Yu, a former fashion designer, made herself. The water-repellent material runs about $90 to $110 per yard, Austin said.
Dr. Lee told the family that one-quarter of the donated masks the hospital has received were from the family, according to Austin, who added, “that’s pretty special that one out of four was done by my mom.”
Ervena Yu is not done, though. Austin said she plans to continue making masks until she runs out of her supply of Ultrasuede material so that the family can sell them and continue to honor their father’s memory as one of the founding fathers of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of Environmental Science.
A distinguished career
Ming Ho Yu was born in Taiwan in 1928 and received his bachelor’s degree from the National Taiwan University in Taipei, according to information Austin emailed to The Herald.
In 1962 he received a Fulbright Scholarship and left his wife and three children — Albert, 6; Christina, 4; and Charlie, 1 — to attend Utah State University, where he earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in Plant Nutrition and Biochemistry. His family later was able to join him in Utah.
When Dr. Gene Miller, whom Dr. Yu worked with at Utah State, was hired as Dean of Huxley College, he brought Dr. Yu to Bellingham to help get the school running.
“He meant a lot to a lot of people and did a lot for a lot of people,” Austin said. “He was quite an expert in quite a few things, and he got some amazing opportunities in his life. He even had tea with Mrs. Nixon (the former first lady).”
After a distinguished 27-year-career with the school, Dr. Yu retired as Professor Emeritus, and the Dr. Min Ho Yu Award is annually given to Huxley’s highest honored student, Austin said.
The family plans to put money from the sale of Ervena Yu’s masks toward continuing to fund that scholarship, Austin said.
Making of an idea
After his stay in the hospital, Dr. Yu’s family brought him home March 16; a day later, he died of non-coronavirus-related reasons, Austin said.
It was after returning home that the idea for making masks was born, Austin said.
Austin’s youngest brother, Charlie Yu, had returned to see his father from Singapore, where he lives and runs a small manufacturing plant for radiation gear used by medical professionals in the Philippines. Because coronavirus was beginning to reach pandemic levels when he traveled, Charlie Yu wore a mask that he’d made himself, Austin said.
“We were having a conversation about how he wore a mask on the plane and so few doctors and nurses were wearing any in the hospital,” Austin said. “We were talking about Charlie’s mask and how random it was that he made one when he’s usually making radiation protection equipment. He said, ‘The idea just came to me.’
“My mom looked at it and she said, ‘I had that very same idea years ago.’ So she leaves and comes back with a mask, and they’re the same design.”
Like her husband, Ervena Yu had a distinguished career, hers in fashion design, after she graduated from the University of Washington with a master’s degree. She was the manager of Jeanne Dale Fabrics on Cornwall Avenue for a number of years, owned Ervena’s on Holly Street in the 1970s and ’80s and was co-owner of Ultra Yu, which manufactured Ultrasuede clothing in the mid-1980s, according to information Austin emailed The Herald.
Ervena Yu also was an assistant plant manager and designer for Caitac Manufacturing, making jeans for a number of companies, including Nordstrom and Union Bay, Austin said, adding that many of her mom’s designs were ahead of their time and have come into fashion in the past decade.
When her kids were young, Ervena Yu designed and made the masks for them for when they had a virus or the air got smoky, and Austin said that was the design she used for the masks she made to donate to doctors and nurses at the hospital.
Mask making
Shortly after Dr. Yu died March 17, Ervena Yu sat down and began making the masks to donate to the hospital, Austin said.
By March 18, Austin said, she already had 36 to deliver. Two days later, Austin dropped off another 20. And the last batch was about 50.
“She had a little mission,” Austin said. “I think she wanted to make 100 to help protect Dr. Lee and the people he worked with. I think it really helped her work through the loss of my dad.”
After making 100 masks, Austin said her mother felt, “she did her part.”
She wasn’t done sewing and she still had Ultrasuede material remaining, but she had done her part to protect the doctors and nurses from COVID-19.
“The money to fund Dad’s scholarship needs to come from somewhere, so we thought what if we made masks and sold them to donate the funds in dad’s name?” Austin said. “My mom thought that was a great idea.”
While her mother got back to sewing, Austin helped set up a Facebook page — Ultra Yu Facemasks — to sell the masks.
The washable masks, which are lined with two layers and allow for a filter to be inserted for additional protection, and are available in many different colors.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
