UPDATED SUNDAY MORNING:
The donations to Oishei Children's Hospital crossed $600,000 in donations in honor of Josh Allens's grandmother, Patricia, with more than 25,000 individual donors as a number of foundations and organizations have been making donations of $17,000.
The hospital said it plans to work with Allen and his family to determine a means to honor Patricia Allen, potentially a program or an area of the hospital or site on the grounds. Donors have come from all 50 states and at least 10 countries.
FROM FRIDAY
Josh Allen came through in the clutch yet again.
Buffalo's Oishei Children's Hospital tweeted that donations in honor of Patricia Allen, the grandmother of the Buffalo Bills' third-year quarterback, had reached $483,000 on Friday evening.
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The $17,000 to reach $500,000 came from an unexpected source: Allen himself.
Allen tweeted, "Unreal. Count me in for $17,000 to make it $500,000," with a heart emoji.
Unreal. Count me in for $17,000 to make it $500,000 ❤️ https://t.co/8oyTGK29rY
— Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) November 14, 2020
After Allen’s grandmother died, Bills fans responded by making spontaneous $17 gifts to the hospital in her memory. The number has continued to rise all week until reaching yet another milestone Friday.
Patricia Allen died Saturday at age 80, and her grandson decided to play Sunday in her honor, throwing for 415 yards in the Bills' 44-34 victory against the Seattle Seahawks.
Josh Allen did not mention his grandmother's passing during his postgame news conference, but coach Sean McDermott told reporters.
"To be able to go through life experiences, and still do your job, that takes, especially in a situation like this, that takes a lot of guts – a lot of just mental fortitude," McDermott said Monday. "And just toughness, really. I mean … he's got guys running at him and he's got to execute at a high level or the narrative is different, right, if he's not at his best. So just I think it just takes an elite performer to be able to do that."
On Wednesday, addressing reporters for the first time, Allen described the woman everyone in his family called "Grammy" as the "sweetest, nicest lady you'd ever meet. Not a single mean bone in her body."
He also expressed admiration for Bills fans, and said he hopes to spend his entire career in Buffalo.
"Words can't really describe how I feel, how my family feels," Allen told reporters Wednesday. "Every time I call my parents and let them know the new number, they just start bawling all over again. And to know that people care and that so much good is coming out of a tough situation, it means the world to myself, it means the world to my family.
"It just shows how this Bills community and this Buffalo community rally around each other and that's what they've been known for and that's what they're still known for. I mean, I can't thank everybody who supported and donated, I can't thank them enough. It's overwhelming, for sure, but so much good is coming out of such a tough situation that you can't help but smile at it. It's unbelievable."
