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Karl-Anthony Towns says he ‘leaned on’ girlfriend Jordyn Woods as he coped with the sudden loss of his mother Jacqueline Cruz.
‘A woman that meant so much to me in my life left my life to be replaced by another woman to take that spot,’ said Karl of Jordyn in the most recent episode of Peace Of Mind With Taraji.
Cruz passed away in April 2020 at the age of 58 due to complications caused by COVID-19. Over the course of the year, Karl would lose seven more relatives to the virus.
Support system: Karl-Anthony Towns says he ‘leaned on’ girlfriend Jordyn Woods while coping with the sudden loss of his mother Jacqueline Cruz; the couple pictured in June
The 25-year-old NBA star and his father Karl Towns, Sr. also contracted the coronavirus in 2020 but have since made full recoveries.
Approximately five months after Jaqueline’s death, Karl started dating Jordyn. He eagerly confirmed the relationship via Instagram in September of that year.
Speaking to Taraji, Karl said he believes his mother had a hand in uniting him and the 24-year-old model.
‘I feel like in a way, when my mom passed, she was like, “I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to make sure you know who you’re supposed to be with,”‘ he explained.
‘A woman that meant so much to me in my life left my life to be replaced by another woman to take that spot,’ said Karl of Jordyn in the most recent episode of Peace Of Mind With Taraji
Loss: Cruz (left) passed away in April 2020 at the age of 58 due to COVID-19 complications, along with six of Towns’ other relatives
Karl also highlighted the fact that Jordyn understands first-hand the unimaginable heartache that comes with losing a parent to illness.
Woods’ father John, a famed sound engineer in the television industry, passed away in 2017, just two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.
‘I leaned on her because she’s one of the only people who would actually know how I was feeling and what was going through,’ Karl explained.
‘Because she was super close with her father just like I was super close with my mother.’
Earth angel: Approximately five months after Jaqueline’s death, Karl started dating Jordyn. He eagerly confirmed the relationship via Instagram in September of that year
Divine intervention: Speaking to Taraji, Karl said he believes his mother had a hand in uniting him and the 24-year-old model
Taking to YouTube in November, Karl spoke candidly about his mother’s coronavirus battle and the moments leading up to him and his family’s painful decision to take her off life support.
After Jacqueline contracted the virus, Towns recalled seeing his mother’s condition worsen. He convinced her to go to the hospital where she was put into a medically induced coma.
‘I remember she just told me “I’m so sorry if I ever did anything that didn’t make you proud of me as a mom,” and I said stop talking like that you’re going to be just fine.
‘You’re going to be in a coma just for a little and we’re going to bring you back out and you’ll be good as new,’ he recalled telling his mother.
Jacqueline did begin to make some progress towards recovery, with doctors even considering bringing her out of the coma.
Shared experience: Karl also highlighted the fact that Jordyn understands first-hand the unimaginable heartache that comes with losing a parent to illness
But all hope was shattered when Towns got a call from his father informing him that his mother ‘had a stroke during the night’ and that doctors said there ‘was no way’ she would have a ‘meaningful life’ after the stroke.
After making the difficult decision to ‘pull the plug’ on April 13, Towns had to make ‘the most difficult call’ to his grandmother to inform her of Jacqueline’s death.
‘There’s nothing worse than losing your kid,’ he added, while getting visibly emotional on camera.
Speaking to his YouTube audience, Karl stressed that his mother was ‘everything’ to his family and that the ‘least I can do is pick up some of her pieces — try to rebuild the puzzle.
‘Life is a game, and I’m just playing one chess piece at a time.’
RIP: Speaking to his YouTube audience in November, Karl stressed that his mother was ‘everything’ to his family and that the ‘least I can do is pick up some of her pieces — try to rebuild the puzzle
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