Kentucky basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns says mother is in coma due to coronavirus
Former Kentucky basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns revealed early Wednesday morning that his mother has been placed in a medically induced coma due to symptoms related to COVID-19.
Towns, in an emotional video posted to Instagram, said that he was told early last week that his parents weren’t feeling well and that he told them to seek medical attention immediately. After they showed no improvement, he urged them to get tested for the novel coronavirus.
“She kept getting worse,” Towns said. “And the hospital was doing everything they can. I was doing everything I could. Still am. And she just wasn’t getting better.”
Towns said the hospital released his father, Karl Towns Sr., to a mandatory home quarantine but his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, was not allowed to leave and that her condition was “deteriorating.”
The former Kentucky standout — a star player on the Wildcats’ 38-1 team of the 2014-15 season — said at the onset of his video that he hoped to raise awareness of the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. Towns has 2.7 million followers on Instagram.
“I think it’s important that everyone understands the severity of what’s happening in the world right now with this coronavirus,” Towns said. “And I think where my life is right now could help, so I decided to do this video and just give you an update on where I’m at.”
Towns said medical staff thought his mother was “turning a corner” in her recovery from the virus, and then her condition worsened.
“They said that she went sideways — things went sideways quick, and her lungs were extremely getting worse,” he said. “And she was having trouble breathing. And they were just explaining to me that she had to be put on a ventilator. And she was getting worse.”
Towns paused several times throughout the five-minute video to compose himself. He said the family was trying to stay positive, but that it was obviously a difficult situation. The Minnesota Timberwolves star said he hoped to raise further awareness of the virus that has crippled America in recent weeks and urged his followers to take the pandemic seriously.
“That’s why I made this video, so people understand that the severity of this disease is real. And this disease needs to not be taken lightly. Please protect your families, your loved ones, your friends, yourself, practice social distancing. Please don’t be in places with a lot of people. … This disease is deadly. It’s deadly.
“Me and my family are going to keep fighting this. We’re going to beat it. We’re going to win. I hope my story helps. I hope my story gives you the correct information. I send my love to all of your families. I’m praying for every single one of you guys. I keep everyone in my thoughts and my prayers. And life might keep throwing punches at me, but I’ll keep getting back up. And I ain’t gonna quit at any time. And neither will my family, neither will my mother. Dominican women are strong. I know they are. My mother is the strongest woman I know, and I know she’ll beat this. And we’re gonna rejoice when she does. I love you guys. And I’ll talk to you later.”
John Calipari, who coached Towns at Kentucky, tweeted that his thoughts were with the family.
“My heart goes out to @KarlTowns, his mother and big Karl,” the UK coach tweeted. “Jackie is one of the strongest women I have ever met. I’ve been praying for her every morning and she could use all of our prayers now to lift her out of this.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 2:53 AM.
