What began as a simple quest by one Toronto doctor to get a protective mask for her patient has now turned into a far bigger project to supply personal protective equipment and accommodation for health-care providers, and to fund research for COVID-19.

Last month, Dr. Elaine Chin was getting worried about a particular patient of hers, a 31-year-old woman about to start chemo sessions for cancer. Having immunocompromised health in the middle of a global pandemic meant it was imperative for the woman to wear a mask during hospital visits.

But masks were nowhere to be found. Just like hand sanitizer and some other health supplies, facial protection had run off the stores’ shelves quickly when stay-home policies started to come into effect. Chin, with the help of her usual medical supplier Xthetica, managed to place an order for some N95 masks directly from a manufacturer in China, only to be outbid at the last minute.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Chin, noting that’s when she realized the issue was far bigger than trying to just get one box of masks.

Now in partnership with the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, Chin has launched the Masking Together Challenge, with the hope of creating an impact that goes beyond just getting protective masks to health-care providers. The campaign also aims to fund short-term accommodations for medical trainees who may need to isolate from family or roommates. Part of the raised funds will also go to support further urgent research into the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19.

Contributions from Chin’s donors through her own practice, Executive Health Centre, have already totalled over $100,000, she said.

Chin’s patient in question, Marilyne Nouhra, who works in the construction industry, did later get some much-needed masks and has started chemo and radiation at Sunnybrook. But being in such a vulnerable situation has made this a doubly anxious time for her.

“I’m already battling death with this cancer and I have to be extra careful with my life, then this pandemic comes around,” said Nouhra, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer earlier this year. “I’m battling two problems. It couldn’t happen at a worse time for me.”

She said the doctors told her the tumor is “too large” to be operated on right now, and she’ll undergo aggressive treatment for six weeks before they make an evaluation.

Going to the hospital is another experience that scares her. She said some people are protected with masks but others are not, which increases her fears. That’s why she “fully” supports Chin’s campaign to get enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers, as well as anyone else who is vulnerable.

“The medical staff absolutely deserves to be protected so they can protect us,” she said.

For Chin, the desire to include accommodation for those toiling on the front lines comes from personal experiences some 17 years ago, when she was among the medical personnel battling the spread of SARS in Toronto. Her husband was also a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, and it was “scary” for them to go home to their four-year-old child after work, she said.

“We literally had to rewrite our will,” she said, noting the two of them ended up finding a different place to stay, as Toronto “had become the epicentre” of the pandemic.

“Some of these medical residents and fellows are still living with their parents or roommates. Where are they going to go if they get infected?” said Chin, as she explained the importance of working with local hotels to provide short-term rentals.

In the longer term, Chin hopes the contributions from the Masking Together Challenge can go toward U of T’s research into understanding the virus and limiting its impact.

U of T’s medical community has already created a Toronto COVID-19 Action Fund of $6 million and is seeking contributions to get to $10 million.

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“Our ultimate goal is to discover a vaccine for COVID-19,” said Chin, expressing optimism.

“I believe in the scientists of this world. We know this little bugger and it’s just a matter of figuring out how to block it.”

Correction - April 17, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that said Marilyne Nouhra was diagnosed with cervical cancer a year ago. In fact, she was diagnosed earlier this year.