NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns' mother passes away due to complications of coronavirus

This just in, the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA have announced that Jacqueline Cruz, mother of Timberwolves power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, has passed away due to complications from coronavirus (COVID- 19).

Last month the 24 year old Towns begged and pleaded with fans on Instagram earlier this week to “not take this virus lightly” as his mother was placed in a medically-induced coma after falling ill with the virus:

WE CAN BEAT THIS, BUT THIS IS SERIOUS AND WE NEED TO TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION.

“She just wasn’t getting better,” a visibly emotional Towns said. “Her fever wasn’t cutting from 103. It’d maybe go down to 101.9 with the meds then immediately spike back up during the night. She was very uncomfortable. Her lungs were getting worse, cough was getting worse. She was deteriorating in front of our eyes.

“We always felt the next medicine would help or the next one would help. This is the one that’s going to get it done.”
Towns had been communicating with his mother on a daily basis. The Timberwolves star said that she was improving, but then “things went sideways quick.”

“Her lungs were getting worse and she was having trouble breathing,” Towns added. “They were just explaining to me she had to be put on a ventilator. She was getting worse and she was confused by everything and I’m trying to talk to her about everything, encouraging her to stay positive. I talked through everything with her.”

Towns recently donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic in an effort to help funding for coronavirus testing before his mother got sick. 

“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.”
An emotional Towns made it a point in the video to preach social distancing and highlight how dangerous the outbreak is.

“This disease needs not to be taken lightly,” Towns said of COVID-19. “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. We’re going to keep fighting.”

RIP.