Hayley Wickenheiser spearheading PPE donations for Canadian medical workers

Sam Ficarro

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Hayley Wickenheiser spearheading PPE donations for Canadian medical workers image

Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser is teaming up with actor Ryan Reynolds to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical workers in Ontario and Quebec as they treat patients fighting COVID-19.

Wickenheiser is currently in her final year of medical school and she's been getting messages from friends saying they're worried about the shortage of PPE. After tweeting a message asking for people to donate equipment, Reynolds texted her asking if she wanted him to retweet the message.

She is now partnering with Reynolds and the organization ConquerCovid19 to help donate equipment to workers who need it.

"It's [ConquerCovid19] a place where physicians and frontline workers can go on the website and sign up to say what you need and we're going to try our best to deliver those items the best we can," Wickenheiser said in an interview with TSN on April 7. "We've had 70 requests across Ontario so far."

Reynolds explained why he decided to partner with Wickenheiser.

"She's just one of those everyday superheroes. She's one of those people who's always standing up for the right thing at the right time with every cell in her body," Reynolds told CBC News. "She's a born leader and I just did everything I could to amplify her message and help her. I can assure you that she's the one on the frontlines, meeting people in an almost clandestine way."

Wickenheiser added that every Saturday until it's no longer necessary they'll be conducting a COVID-19 drive in Toronto for anybody able to donate PPE equipment, where it'll be stored and distributed to medical workers.

Canadians have answered Wickenheiser's call and have donated thousands of N95 masks and other materials to medical organizations.

Sam Ficarro