Former ‘Iolani athlete Nelson Quan is on an n95 mission.
When he was a runner and diver at ‘Iolani in the early 2000s, Quan had a big motor long before energy drinks became familiar. He ran cross country and track. He placed fifth at the state diving championships (1-meter). He was also an aspiring film maker, shooting video of the championship Raiders teams coached by Mark “Doc” Mugiishi.
These days, Quan is married and living in Beijing. Film making was always his passion, and he travels frequently to capture the glory of the stars above.
For the past few weeks, however, Quan and wife Abby have endured through new experiences. They returned from their annual vacation in Hawaii during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and were quarantined at home for 14 days. Then he learned about the severe shortage of protective gear for doctors and nurses back in the states. His sister (Sophia), now living in Texas, is married to an ER physician, Dr. Derek Ou.
“My sister and I had been chatting and she was telling me how supplies were so restricted that they were told by hospital admin that they can’t get n95s,” Quan said on Thursday. “To see COVID patients, to just wear (regular) surgical masks.”
He quickly connected the dots.
“It just bugged me because it hit home, having a family member who is at risk, on the front lines. I had n95 masks at home. There’s smog in Beijing so I had 50 of them. So I sent them to her. That was my personal stash,” Quan said. “They restock in the stores. I can go to 7-Eleven and get them.”
That was a week ago. He got in touch with a friend who is a trade broker. When his old track coach, Joel Flores, asked if he had access to n95 masks, things began to percolate in Quan’s mind. Flores, a bus driver, could not find the masks on Oahu.
“I checked the certifications and they were legit, so I thought maybe I can help more people,” Quan said. “I started getting texts. A lot of my doctor friends were saying they couldn’t get PPEs. It was appalling, all across the country. Every freaking hospital doesn’t have enough.”
In Beijing, orders of n95 masks in the millions are routine. Quan wasn’t about to make an order that large.
“I found out that I really needed a hand in this. I figured Trump would help the bigger cities first. Hawaii’s not on their radar. So I posted on Facebook like five nights ago,” he said.
The niche for Quan’s mission isn’t directly with hospitals.
“I emailed my brother-in-law’s hospital (in Houston). I’ve emailed people and they never emailed back, so I found out that I could at least help the little guys. Doctors. People on the ground. At least get them something now that can help for a week or two,” he said.
He connected with OperationMasks.org, which does philanthropy work in China.
“So I sent some over there. Also, New Mexico, California, New York, Tennessee, Texas of course. All the same story,” Quan said. “In China, all that stuff was sourced out. n95s were never the problem. It’s all paid for by the government. In the U.S., FEMA should be paying for all this. The more frustrated I got, the more I wanted to help people.”
One wrinkle in the process is that Quan is searching for n95 masks that meet FDA standards. He found a source on Wednesday through a “best friend.”
“He’s helping Canada. He’s doing the same thing,” Quan said. “He has 10,000 in stock. I need more details on it and, of course, money.”
Two days later, bad news. The plan fell thorough, as Quan explained on Facebook.
“My sister was telling me how grateful they were, that I was able to get some n95s to her husband. She said it was like a lifeline. I was on a good lead with a potential supplier without having to do the ultra-high volume orders… but then it fell through today and it made me sad.”
The initial order, still in play, is 1,200 non-FDA approved n95 masks that have similar specification. It’s a modest haul compared to the nationwide and global need, but for this homegrown partnership, reaching out and bringing more help into the equation, it’s more than just a project.
“I’m in line to get my order in,” Quan said. “First, they told me a few days. Now it’s five days. A couple of friends are going to distribute it out to the doctors when the n95s get there (to Honolulu). I’ll send a couple hundred to my brother-in-law. I wanted to take more orders and help more people. I wanted to help people in the Philippines and Indonesia, too. It breaks my heart when I don’t know how I can help them.”
A nurse in Victoria, British Columbia got in touch with Quan.
“But the shipping (to Victoria) is astronomical, $350 to ship 100 masks. That’s just two-and-a-half pounds by normal courier,” he said. “I’m adding up the costs, and because of the high demand, the price for an n95 went up. In Indonesia, they can’t afford the bigger prices. I want to help them, but I want to help our islands first.”
The best price point is out of reach.
“The price goes down if you order 1 million masks wholesale. $1.70 is the factory price. I would love to drop the price to get it to the doctors who need it,” he said. “Freight prices have gone up. Everything’s closed down. These are the reasons why prices are going up.”
Life in China, meanwhile, is beginning to resemble its old self. Traffic has returned to Beijing. Restrictions remain. The Quans completed the two-week quarantine on Mar. 14 and finally ventured out. At one mall, Quan took a photo of a robot that measures the temperature of every person entering. Toothpicks are being used to press buttons in elevators.
“There are temperature checks everywhere, at every exit/entry. When we were quarantined, we couldn’t leave our front door. They would call us three times a day. We also had a WeChat to report our temperature. The police would call us every other day,” he said. “If you don’t wear a mask in public, you will get fined. But people are going back to work.”
The only city that remains closed is Wuhan.
“The measures in Hawaii will make a difference even if it doesn’t seem like a lot. By the time it’s detected, it’s too late. What’s happened in New York could happen in Hawaii if there’s no restrictions,” he said. “The numbers are going to keep going up the next two weeks, but if people are complying, the numbers will flatten out. And it will help the health care professionals.”
Quan goes for a run when there’s time. He dropped his screenplay writing because of the time it takes to communicate back and forth with his friends in this n95 mask mission. He hasn’t dived into a pool in at least five years.
On Saturday, he wrote on social media: “My God. My life has been transformed in the last 24 hours, all started from Feeding n95 masks to my brother-in-law, to now connecting (with) my friend who owns factories and have been producing medical supplies. … Just asking for prayers from the community that we can get this done and for people to get healed from COVID-19. Keep your spirits strong, America and the world. Help is on the way.”
And yet, there are times when it feels like just a drop in the ocean. When the walls seem too high to climb, he still has hope. He is trusting the process.
“A friend of mine in Queens said, ‘You’re doing a lot. One doctor can help 10, 20, 30 patients.’ If a doctor goes down, they’re out two, three weeks and we lose capacity for treating people,” Quan said. “I thought at first it was going to be contained in China and just a few cases elsewhere. It’s horrible, but it’s awesome at the same time. We can help.”
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