Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has revealed that her 35-year-old son, Charles Shaffer, has become ill during the coronavirus pandemic, sharing the news in an Instagram video posted by Vogue on Monday, April 6. Wintour told viewers that her son, who is a a doctor, is currently sick and self-isolating. She also revealed that he has been working in the intensive care unit at his hospital in New York.
“The most critical aid, of course, is happening on the front lines,” she said. “My son is a doctor. He is currently quite ill and self quarantining at home. But when he is able, he will return to the ICU at his hospital.” Wintour did not confirm that Shaffer has COVID-19 and did not offer any other details on his illness. “I am so proud of him and so grateful to all the health workers, first responders, nurses and doctors who are fighting to reduce the spread of the virus and to save lives,” she continued.
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Wintour shares Charles and daughter Bee Shaffer with ex-husband David Shaffer. The Daily Mail shares that Charles is a Chief Resident at Weill Cornell in New York City, one of the epicenters of the virus in the United States. Vogue‘s video was shared to raise awareness for A Common Thread, an initiative spearheaded by Vogue in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue‘s Fashion Fund that is raising funds and awareness for those in the American fashion community who have been impacted by the coronavirus.
“I have been speaking to so many American designers and others in the community who fear that their businesses and their livelihoods may not survive what we’re all going through,” Wintour said in the clip. “The fund that we have created is intended to help them and the talented people they work with. The pattern makers, the cutters, the tailors, the embroiderers and so many more.” She concluded, “The challenges that we face are profound, but this fund, we hope, is a step in the right direction.”
Wintour created A Common Thread with designer Tom Ford. “Tom [Ford] and I are not doctors, but there is so much help that is needed, especially as small businesses and workers around this country suffer devastating economic consequences,” the video’s caption quoted Wintour as saying. “The fashion industry has been hit hard. I have been speaking to so many American designers and others in the community who fear that they won’t make their payroll or have had their orders returned, stores closed, who fear that their businesses and their livelihoods may not survive what we’re going through. The fund we’ve created is intended to help them and the talented people they work with.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Ryan Emberley/amfAR
