Sacramento Kings fans show heart of champions by aiding family in crisis
SACRAMENTO — It's no game. In a matter of life-and-death, Sacramento Kings fans are rallying around one of their own who's fighting for his life in a hospital in Mexico.
Sacramento Kings fan Gerald Marfil is recovering after suffering not one but two heart attacks while on vacation with his family in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Doctors say he will need an air ambulance to bring him back to Sacramento. Now, Kings fans are helping him finance the expensive flight. Kings fan Dave Lack is one of the hundreds who have donated online.
"I just saw it on Twitter," Lack said.
Chris Van Dusen is another who gave.
"The fan base is a tight-knit group," Van Dusen said.
Marfil's wife is also a Kings employee who works closely with season ticket holders.
"All Kings fans think of ourselves as a family," Lack said.
Lack has a whole room dedicated to the Sacramento Kings and has a special connection to the Marfil family's medical crisis.
"In 2018, I had a heart attack myself, and the Kings organization came through for me," he said. "They were supporting me."
Lack said when he was recovering, he received a custom care package from the Kings.
Gerald Marfil's son, Jordan, spoke to CBS13 over the phone. The family has been posting pictures and photos from their hospital. Their GoFundMe account has raised more than $40,000 from 250 separate donors.
Those are numbers the family never expected to see.
"It was just mind-blowing," Jordan Marfil said. "I can't even explain it, just like the love through the Kings."
They are fans of a franchise with the longest playoff drought in the NBA. Though, they still have the hearts of champions.
"You know we've gone through so much hardship over the years together," Lack said.
The Marfil family said doctors expect them to be able to take that air ambulance back to Sacramento in another two weeks.