Governor Andrew Cuomo ended his press conference on Friday on a hopeful and heartwarming note. He took out a letter he'd received from an elderly man in north Kansas, who had sent him something that moved him very deeply. A solitary N-95 mask. He read it to the press, and it began, ironically, "Dear Mr. Cuomo, I seriously doubt that you will ever read this letter, as I know you are busy beyond belief with the disaster that has befallen our country."
Gov. Cuomo read the entire letter from the retired farmer, and here's the second half:
I'm a retired farmer hunkered down in NE Kansas with my wife who has but one lung and occasional problems with her remaining lung. She also has diabetes. We are in our 70's now, and frankly I am afraid for her.
Enclosed find a solitary N-95 mask left over from my farming days. It has never been used. If you could, would you please give the mask to a nurse or doctor in your city. I have kept four masks for my immediate family. Please keep doing what you are doing so well, which. is to lead.
It was signed, "Sincerely, Dennis and Sharon."
Visibly choked up, Cuomo remarked, "A farmer in northeast Kansas. His wife has one lung. And diabetes. He has five masks. He sends one mask to New York for a doctor or a nurse, keeps four masks. You wanna talk about a snapshot of humanity?...How beautiful is that? I mean, how selfless is that? How giving is that?...It's that love, that courage, that generosity of spirit that makes this country so beautiful, and makes Americans so beautiful."
