NBA

NBA Star Reveals Mother Is in Medically-Induced Coma Because of Coronavirus

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is warning fans to take the virus seriously

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns revealed his mother is in a medically-induced coma because of coronavirus.

Towns announced on social media his mother has been suffering from a high fever, a cough and was having trouble breathing. She was put on a ventilator before being placed in a coma.

 "I was told early last week my parents weren't feeling well. My first reaction to her was to go seek medical attention immediately. There's no reason to wait, just go to the nearest hospital. And after a couple days of not showing any signs of improvement, I was very adamant on the first day to go to a hospital and seek further evaluation.

"Specifically, my sister told her she needs to get checked for corona. I don't think anyone really understood what it was, with deteriorating condition. She kept getting worse, she kept getting worse, and the hospital was doing everything they can."

"She just wasn't getting better," Towns continued. "Her fever was never cutting from 103, maybe go down to 101.9 with the meds, and then immediately spike back up during the night. She was very uncomfortable. Her lungs were getting worse, her cough was getting worse. She was deteriorating. She was deteriorating -- and we always felt that the next medicine would help. This is the one that's going to get it done. This mixture is going to get it done."

"She was feeling great," Towns said in the video. "We talked, and she felt she turned the corner; I felt she was turning the corner. I knew there was more days to come, but I felt that we were heading in the right direction. They said that she went sideways and things had went sideways quick. And her lungs were extremely getting worse 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 and she was confused by everything, and I'm trying to talk to her about everything and encourage and stay positive, just talk through everything with her."

Britain's Prince Charles became the latest public figure to test positive for the coronavirus.

Towns encouraged his fans to take the outbreak seriously and said he made the video so "people understand the severity" of the outbreak.

"This disease needs to not 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," he said.

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