Earlier this month, pro-athlete Karl Anthony-Towns assisted his parents with the necessary safety precautions against COVID-19 after he learned they both felt ill. While they monitored their health, the 24-year-old’s parents, Karl Towns Sr. and Jacqueline Cruz, still felt unwell and went to the hospital.
Anthony-Towns’ mother’s health condition began to worsen while his father was able to go home and self-quarantine. After receiving various medications, his mother began to feel on the up and up, but then her condition worsened. Doctors hooked her up to a ventilator and placed her in a medically induced coma for stability. The Minnesota Timberwolves player said her fever would lower slightly from 103 to 101.9 during the day—before she needed a ventilator’s assistance—but at night it would increase.
The NBA member said he’s sharing his story to stress why Americans need to stay home and practice social distancing as medical officials attempt to get ahead of the virus. “We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines,” he wrote on Instagram. “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.”
In a state of confusion, Anthony-Towns and his family couldn’t figure out why his mother’s condition was becoming more grim but to project a positive mindset, he assured the masses that his family’s strength will get them through this period. “It’s rough and day by day we’re just seeing how it goes. Being positive, I’m being very positive so I’m just keeping the strength up for my family. I’m making this video so that people understand that the severity of this disease is real,” he said. “This disease needs not to be taken lightly. Please protect your family, your loved ones, your friends, yourself. Practice social distancing. Please don’t be in places with a lot of people. It just heightens your chances of getting this disease and this disease is deadly.”
Anthony-Towns and his family will continue to fight and hopes his story will help educate the masses on the affects of this illness. Previously, Towns donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic to help increase the number of administered tests from 200 to 1,000 per day, USA Today reports.
Positive cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. reached upwards of 50,000 while the death toll is above 700, CNN reports.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XBnmWcp51ku6bD0micp6yVp8Gitc2mnKesX6Cus7iMmqWtoJ%2Bjxm7AzrClrGWdpMGpsdFmoKdlnZqxqq%2FApaOyZZmjsbavxJ1knKedlnqlwcRmq6hlk6TDqrCManBmq6mivbW7zKxkb29na394ew%3D%3D