A marine sews masks for his fellow vets in Chicago

Nick Stevenson suffered debilitating, life-long injuries when he left the Marines in 2009. Addicted to painkillers and adjusting to civilian life, his post-traumatic stress disorder went into overdrive. His first marriage broke down, he was fighting with his parents every day, and quickly descending into a downward spiral.

He finally sought help from the VA (Veterans Affairs) Hospital in Chicago, Jesse Brown. From there, he began to slowly give up his addiction and met a group of fellow vets with whom he developed a camaraderie. He also found skills that would help him with his PTSD: knitting and sewing.

Fast forward to March 2020, when the coronavirus took over the world, Stevenson thought to use his skills to sew masks for the many fellow vets that were walking around without them. One mask, turned into 20, then 100, then 200. Now, he has made a name for himself as the Sewing Machine Marine and is using his newfound clout to stitch his and that of his fellow vets' lives together again.