In an emotional post on Instagram, Karl-Anthony Towns revealed that his mother tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus and is in a coma.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center cautioned his followers that the virus is "not to be taken lightly." Towns said he first suspected something might be wrong when his parents said they weren't feeling too well last week. His father was released to quarantine at home, but his mother's condition began "deteriorating" and she reached a fever of 103 degrees. While Jacqueline Cruz did improve for a moment, things eventually went "sideways" for her and she has since been in a medically induced coma and is attached to a ventilator.
"I think it's important that everyone understands the severity of what's happening in the world right now with the coronavirus, and I think where my life is right now could help, so I decided to do this video and give you an update of where I'm at," Towns started the video. "I've just been getting updates on her condition. It's rough, and day by day we're just seeing how it goes. We're being positive; I'm being very positive. So I'm just keeping the strength up for everybody and my family."
He hoped that in sharing his experiences, more Americans will take the necessary precautions to stop the spread of the virus. "We can beat this, but this is serious and we need to take every precaution," Towns added. "Sharing my story in the hopes that everyone stays at home. We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines. ... Thank you to the medical staff who are helping my mom. You are all the true heroes. Praying for all of us at this difficult time."
Donovan Mitchell of Utah Jazz, who tested positive for the virus two weeks ago, offered his thoughts to Towns. "Stay strong," he wrote. "God has got you."
As of Wednesday, there's been a total of 55,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States.
