Sports

NBA Star From Edison: Mother In Coma Due To Coronavirus

In an emotional video, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, a NJ native, says his mother is in a coma after weeks of suffering from the coronavirus.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Harry Giles III during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Harry Giles III during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

EDISON – NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, an Edison native, says his mother is in a coma after weeks of suffering from the coronavirus.

Towns, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, said in an emotional video that it's important for everyone to understand that the virus is "deadly." He donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic to support COVID-19 testing (see video below).

Towns said his parents both weren't feeling well, so they sought medical attention. His dad was eventually released, but his mother kept getting worse.

Find out what's happening in Edison-Metuchenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Towns grew up in Piscataway and his father played for Monmouth University. Towns also attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen and led his team to two state titles.

New Jersey has the second-highest number of cases in the country, and 44 people have died. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Find out what's happening in Edison-Metuchenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Towns said he felt like his mother was "turning the corner" at one point after her fever spiked at 103 but "she went sideways quick."

Towns said she was put on a ventilator and, before she was placed in a medically induced coma, he told her every day "how much I love her."

"Day-by-day, I'm just seeing how it goes," he said.

Here is the video:


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