VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A local father who is deaf was brought to tears once again thanks to a group of nurses with Sentara Healthcare.
In April, News 3 reporter Antoinette DelBel shared the story of Will and Jennifer McKendree, whose daughter, Cooper Lynn, was born on April 10. Her birth was a special moment Will feared he wouldn’t be able to fully be a part of due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Wil reads lips and uses visual cues such as hand and mouth motions, known as Cued Speech. The masks protecting staff at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital from getting the virus made it nearly impossible for them to communicate with Will.
So, hospital employees went beyond their typical duties to help the new parents overcome the huge communication hurdle by sewing together special masks within an hour of the McKendrees arriving to the hospital to welcome baby Cooper Lynn to the world. The masks featured heavy-duty page protectors as windows so Will could see their mouths and read their lips.
On Tuesday, Jennifer told us that the nurses surprised her husband again on Monday. After revealing they had been getting numerous requests for the pattern of the window mask from people all over the country, they decided to name the pattern "Will's View" in his honor.
The pattern can be found on Sentara's website and here.
