MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns shared an emotional Instagram post early Wednesday morning saying that his mom is in a medically induced coma while she battles COVID-19.
During the 5-minute video post Towns revealed that early last week his parents weren't feeling well and he told them to seek further evaluation. While his father got better his mom, Jacqueline Cruz, battled a fever that wouldn't break and a cough that got progressively worse. Eventually she was hospitalized, and put into a medically induced coma.
"Things went sideways, and her lungs were getting worse," Towns said in his post. "It's rough, day by day we're just seeing how it goes... I made this video to show people the severity of this disease is real."
Towns emphasized how important it is that people heed the advice of medical professionals and stay at home. At this point his father is self-quarantined and attempting to recover from his symptoms.
"This disease needs to not be taken lightly," Towns insisted in his video. "Please protect your family, your loved ones, your friends, yourself."
Less than two weeks ago, Towns made a $100,000 donation to the Mayo Clinic for COVID-19 to help fund research into a test for the illness. He remains hopeful that his mother will rebound.
“My mother, she’s the strongest woman I know and I know she’ll beat this,” Towns said. “We’re going to rejoice when she does.”
OTHER NEWS: Hilights from Home - Day 5
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visi kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More information on the coronavirus: