Coronavirus News: New Jersey's Karl-Anthony Town begs people to take COVID-19 seriously as mom enters coma
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NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who was born in Edison and raised in Piscataway, New Jersey, took to Instagram to beg his followers to take COVID-19 seriously, sharing his own mother's fight with the deadly virus.
"She was deteriorating, she was deteriorating in front of our eyes," Towns said in the video, which racked up almost a million views in under 12 hours after being posted on Tuesday night.
"The severity of this disease is real; this disease needs not to be taken lightly. Please protect your family," Towns said.
His family's ordeal started last week when both his parents came down with symptoms for COVID-19. Days passed, and their health did not improve, so Towns urged his parents to go the hospital.
His father was released to self-quarantine at home, but his mother kept getting worse. The family kept their hopes up, and she seemed to be on the mend.
"The day she felt better we talked, she thought she turned the corner, I felt she turned the corner ...then they said she went sideways," Towns said.
But then her decline resumed, and her condition grew even worse than before. She was placed on a ventilator and is now in a medically induced coma.
"We're going to keep fighting on my side. We're going to beat it, we're going to win," Towns said.
With the virus rapidly spreading around the world, doctors are urging everyone to take the appropriate precautions: Practice social distancing, wash your hands and don't touch your face, and stay home to help "flatten the curve."
While he's staying positive through this difficult time, Towns couldn't stress enough the seriousness of COVID-19.
"This disease is deadly, it's deadly. I hope my story helps," Towns said.
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