Beth Eischen is a modern-day superhero. By day she teaches Microbiology to Onondaga Community College students. By night she makes masks for healthcare workers. “It makes me feel amazing to be able to help. I know how important is to be properly masked. I used to work with HIV in Silicon Valley. I understand personal protective equipment.”
In her previous life Eischen was a molecular biologist doing research on breast cancer and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Then she became a mother and everything changed. “I’ve been sewing ever since my daughter was born. She inspired me to make things for her. My mother and grandmothers had always sewn. My prom gown in high school and formal gown in college were made by my grandmothers. I was around creativity and sewing my whole life. Once I became a mother it was a natural transition for me to want to tap into some of those crafts and make things for her.”
Her daughter was born 17-and-a-half years ago, and that’s how long Eischen has been sewing for. She started by getting sewing machines from one grandmother and fabric from her other grandmother. Then she began making clothing and handbags for sale. She had just started a line of jewelry when the pandemic struck.
Eischen has taught at OCC for 10 years. Each semester she’s told her students about what we’re experiencing now. “I’m like the grim reaper. I’ve known this was coming and at some point we would have a super virus. This is a little sooner than I thought.”
As news surrounding COVID-19 ramped up, Eischen changed her production schedule. “I knew we were going to be in it for awhile so I immediately started making masks and getting them to my friends in healthcare. It seemed like we would have a PPE (personal protection equipment) shortage.”
Her days now seem like a blur. She spends her mornings and part of her afternoons teaching, then goes to her studio where she makes masks until 9 o’clock every night. By the time she turns off her lights and heads home, she’s made another 80 to 100 masks. “They’re going to hospitals and nursing homes and fire departments and EMT’s. I’m making 40 for the V-A and 20 for an orthopedic surgeon group. I’ll have a nurse ask me if I can make her one.”
You can find Eischen’s masks, and other handmade products, on the internet in any of the following places:
- Facebook @Lilipad Creations
- Instagram @lilipad.creations
- Etsy @lilipadcreations
