What Happened to Karl Anthony Town’s Mom? Tragedy That Left Wolves Star Distraught

Karl-Anthony Towns lost his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, after both of his parents were diagnosed with the coronavirus in 2020. Unfortunately, the trouble would come manifold as he lost six more members of his family. Overcoming grief of loss was the biggest challenge for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward. Not only did the player have to watch his mother’s health deteriorate, but he also had to make a decision in which no hope was put in their hands. 

A Heartbreaking Decision That Changed Karl Anthony Town

In a video entitled “THE TOUGHEST YEAR OF MY LIFE”, Towns talked about the time he had to decide whether he should keep his mother on life support or let her pass. COVID-19 complications continued deteriorating her health. “At that moment I pulled the plug and just let her pass,” Towns said. “They told me she may be alive another hour, maybe two.” 

The decision was somber and difficult, but his mother’s family did not leave Towns alone in her final hours. The Timberwolves star shared that other members of their family were talking to his mom from their homes through video calls. They laughed and shared stories when she died. “She was sent off with laughter,” a tearful Towns further said in the video.

The Devastating Impact of COVID-19 on the Towns Family

The power forward revealed in an Instagram post on March 25, 2020, that both of his parents had tested positive for coronavirus. Although his father’s condition improved over time, his mother was not as lucky. She had to be put under a medically induced coma and had been placed on a ventilator because of the illness, he said in a follow-up post.

In the video that was posted on the following Monday night, Karl-Anthony Towns revealed that Jacqueline Cruz took a turn for the worse. A stroke caused her health to deteriorate further, and doctors believed that she would not have a meaningful life even if she could recover from the stroke. The news was broken to him in a phone call from his dad. 

“It just got to a point where it was harming her,” Towns said. “I gave her all the time, and I made the hardest decision you can make. I called my sister, I told her what the decision I made was. You’ve got to live with that. I made that decision.”

The Tragedy That Taught Town How to Cope with Grief and Loss

Losing his mother caused immeasurable grief to the Minnesota Timberwolves player, but he knew he had to fight to overcome the grief. In the video where he opened up to his fans, he talked about how he is attempting to heal and cope with the loss. He managed to tackle the feeling of bereavement by taking care of other important people in his life.

“I’m trying to do as much as I can for my sister and my father. Trying to take care of my friends, and I’m trying to heal myself through them,” Towns said. “It’s helped, but I think that one day, and I know it’s creeping up, I feel it every day, it’s gonna creep up and I’m going to have to find a way to deal with it, actually.”

Pushing feelings down eventually leads to worse mental health, and Towns believed sharing his story would be therapeutic if he admitted his feelings publicly. Furthermore, it became a quest to find normalcy for the player. 

Towns’ mother would be the one to accompany him to games, but after her passing, his father took on the role. As Minnesota stepped up to face the Brooklyn Nets, fans could see his father in the stands. “Me and my dad got emotional before the game,” Towns told reporters. “Because he made his presence known. It affected me because my mom always did that.“

Karl-Anthony Towns went through a tragic period which many experienced during the prime time of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his supportive father became his silver lining and continued to be present for Karl’s games.