02/09/2026
“Here I am masked with my dad in his rehab following a traumatic brain injury. I masked on and off for five months with him, and he has gotten through four hospitalizations and a two-month rehab stay without getting a respiratory illness.”— Behind the 3M Aura is Julie Fechter (Julie AF), a speech-language pathologist who works with the geriatric population in home health.
“I specialize in Parkinson’s disease. Any acute illness can worsen my patients’ symptoms or lead to death. I have seen patients have a heart attack post their first bout of COVlD and a stroke post their second. They can no longer communicate with their family and were told, “We don’t have enough research to say whether the cardiovascular effects are attributed to COVlD.” They were unhappy to find out that their cardiologist wants them to be the research.”
Living in mask-friendly Seattle, Julie shares her story to raise awareness with .
“Some of my bus drivers still mask, as do various workers in stores I go to. Masking is a workers’ rights issue, and I stand with workers as a leftist. We no longer live in the world of pre-2020 and I want to protect my vulnerable patients from further harm. My patients copy my facial expressions even when they can’t see my smiles. I occasionally use clear masks to help patients see my mouth for speech and language therapy but I prefer my N95s that offer more reliable protection.”
Julie also masks up for self-care.
“It doesn’t hurt that all my patients cough (due to swallowing issues). Masks protect me too! I have an autoimmune disease and used to get sick every other month, worsening my symptoms. Now I get sick once a year or two. Wearing a mask keeps my Sjogren’s manageable and keeps me healthy.”
What about you? COVlD cases are rising. Tell others why you ! We protect us!
