It has been a whirlwind week for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The third-year quarterback put up one of his best performances this past Sunday with 415 yards passing and four total touchdowns in a 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park. Following the game, Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed that Allen's grandmother, Patricia Allen, had passed away the day before the game.
Later Sunday night, a user on Reddit suggested that Bills fans make $17 donations to Oishei Children's Hospital to show their support. The idea took off, and as of Friday night, Bills fans have chipped in to help raise over $500,000 for the hospital.
The donation total hit the $500,000 mark after Allen, himself, decided to donate a total of $17,000 to the cause.
"It's unexpected, but certainly incredibly impactful," said Vice President of the Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, Andrew Bennett on Monday. "It again goes to show what an incredible fanbase we have."
"This year in particular it's obviously been a challenge for all hospitals. There's so much work done day-in and day-out whether it be treatments or activities or finding new equipment that rely heavily on community support. Insurance doesn't cover everything that goes on at Oishei, and when the community steps up to make these kinds of donations it leads to a very real and lasting impact."
It was Monday afternoon when Allen first addressed his gratitude to the fans for their kind gesture. At the time, the donations totaled more than $34,650, and Allen tweeted, "At a loss for words. Buffalo, I love you."
Less than 24 hours later, the donations tallied more than $200,000.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Josh Allen’s grandmother," said Children's Hospital President Allegra Jaros in a statement. "Josh has done so much to support us these last few years so we share in Bills Mafia’s support of him and his family during this difficult time."
Allen has worked with Oishei Children's Hospital on a number of occasions, most recently with a portion of proceeds for his cereal at Wegmans, "Josh's Jaqs" went to benefit the hospital.
The 24-year-old has said in the past that working with Oishei Children's Hospital is something that he cherishes.
"When I was a kid, my brother was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, and he was in the hospital for about a week-and-a-half, two weeks. I always wasn't there, my family always wasn't there, we had other stuff to do, but these children are kind of given the short end of the stick and sometimes the situations are gut-wrenching," Allen said back in October. "Just knowing that me saying hello, me showing up and giving them a little Bills goodie bag, or whatever the case may be. What that can do for them and how that can lift their spirits up in their time of need.
"It's something near and dear to my heart is working with Oishei Children's Hospital because of that feeling I get to give to kids. It breaks my heart every time I go there because you see some things that you obviously don't wish upon anybody. These are just children that don't deserve what they're going through, but just the littlest thing of me showing up and being there, showing my support and telling them that I'm praying for them and I care about them, it can make that much of a difference."
Donations made to The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation support the care, programs, equipment and more. Anyone interested in donating can do so here: