KITCHENER -- A Waterloo woman is finding a way to help the health-care workers who helped her recover from life-saving surgeries.
Maria Mustakas suffers from a disease called Gastroparesis, and spent days in Grand River Hospital’s intensive care unit a year ago after undergoing several surgeries to remove her stomach, bladder and gallbladder.
"It’s specifically a special spot in my heart because they have saved my life on multiple occasions," Mustakas said.
As someone with a compromised immune system, she says she has been careful about going out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"So I’m spending a lot of time at home, busy making these masks and I wanted to give back.”
Mustakas has been sewing cloth masks and selling them online to raise money for those on the front lines.
In three weeks, she’s made and sold 350 masks, raising more than $3,500.
The proceeds are used to buy meals for staff in the ICU and COVID-19 Treatment Unit at Grand River Hospital.
On Thursday, she bought 160 sandwiches from Vincenzo's and delivered them to health-care workers.
Mustakas has also donated $500 to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
She continues to take orders for the cloth masks and can be reached at covidcoverups@gmail.com.
