Kansas Farmer Sends N95 Mask To New York To Be Given To 'A Nurse Or Doctor'

A retired farmer from Kansas has generously donated a spare N95 mask to the state of New York along with a handwritten note requesting the mask be given to a medical worker on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to NBC New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ended a recent press briefing by reading the touching letter sent to him by the farmer who has only been identified as Dennis.

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The note, which appears to have been sent to Cuomo on March 8, details Dennis' home life and his family in Kansas.

Twitter | @NYGovCuomo

"I'm a retired farmer hunkered down in northeast Kansas with my wife, who has but one lung and occasional problems with her remaining lung," the letter reads.

"We are in our 70s, and frankly I'm afraid for her."

Dennis goes on to say that he stumbled across the spare N95 mask in his home recently, and assured Cuomo it hasn't been used.

"If you could, would you please give this mask to a nurse or doctor in your state?" he asked of the governor. "I have kept four masks for my immediate family."

He added, "Please keep on doing what you do so well, which is to lead."

After reading the letter during Friday's press briefing, Cuomo said he was touched by Dennis' generosity during these difficult times.

"You want to talk about a snapshot of humanity," he said. "You have five masks, what do you do? Do you keep all five? Do you hide the five masks and keep them for yourselves and others? No, you send one mask to New York to help a nurse or doctor."

"How selfless is that? How giving is that?" the governor continued. “Dennis, if you’re watching, thank you very much."

Cuomo later shared a picture of the heartwarming note to his official Twitter account in the hopes of inspiring others.

"I received this letter from a farmer in northeast Kansas," he explained in the caption. "His wife is ill and he is aging. He sent me 1 of 5 N95 masks he has from farming to pass on to a doctor or nurse in New York."

"This is humanity at its best," he continued. "I share his letter as inspiration."

h/t: NBC New York

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