Donations to Buffalo's John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in memory of Patricia Allen, the grandmother of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, surpassed the $700,000 mark early Friday.
According to the hospital's donations tracker, $700,219 has been raised through 27,409 donors since Allen passed away Nov. 7, the day before the Bills played the Seattle Seahawks.
The hospital announced two weeks ago that it planned to set up a new fund, the Patricia Allen Fund, to collect future donations and provide ongoing assistance to hospital patients, through the pediatric critical-care team, and to the patients' families.
The hospital said it has named a wing on its sports-themed 10th floor the "Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing" and will name a play room within the new wing as "The Buffalo Bills Fans Fun Zone."
The donations largely came in increments of $17, a nod to Allen's jersey number, but corporations and others, including Allen himself, have donated $17,000.
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"Words can't really describe how I feel, how my family feels," Allen told reporters as the donations flowed. "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."
