A GoFundMe account has been set up for a Danielsville woman hospitalized with COVID-19.

The fundraiser for Monica Newhard of Danielsville was set up Saturday by Antoinette Strohl of Bowmanstown.

Contributions toward Newhard can be made at https://bit.ly/2MTcEDm.

At press time, $1,275 of the $1,000 goal had been raised.

According to Strohl, who is Newhard’s sister, “I wanted to do something to help my sister Monica Gary Newhard as she is in the hospital fighting for her life from COVID, so I decided to start this fund to raise money to help her pay medical bills she will have and maybe keep her business, This N That Finds U, afloat that she loves so much and works so hard at trying to succeed.”

Strohl said “Monica has such a big heart when it comes to her grandchildren, her five fur babies (and all animals really) and helping people in any way that she can. All of your thoughts and prayers for Monica have been priceless.”

Strohl said Newhard’s business has been closed ever since she contracted COVID-19.

“She pretty much runs everything, the operation,” she said. “It’s hard to do anything without her.”

Strohl said Newhard, 55, is still in the hospital, but that her oxygen levels are very low, and they won’t release her until her oxygen levels are up.

“She has a viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia,” she said. “She was getting the same treatment that President Donald Trump had got, and it did help; she said even after the first one she felt better.”

Strohl said Newhard has preexisting conditions as well.

“That is what is obviously making it worse for her,” she said. “She told me she was always afraid of getting COVID because she always knew if she would get it, it would be bad because of her other conditions.”

Strohl said that New­hard started with a headache, and that she was with her that day.

“From there, I believe she started getting like chest pains, then was having trouble breathing, and when she went to the hospital, the next day her husband took her to the hospital, she said she thought she was going to die,” she said. “When her husband found her the next morning, he looked at her and she looked at him and she couldn’t communicate; he had to pick her up and get her to the car, she couldn’t go on her own.

“He felt like he could get her there quickly. If he wouldn’t have took her when he did, she said she didn’t think she would have got through it like she did.”

Strohl said that both Newhard’s husband, Gary, and granddaughter, Helen, 13, have also tested positive.

“I asked him how he and Helen were doing and he said she has no symptoms, but he feels like he has a cold,” she said. “He said it’s the people whose immunity systems are already compromised that get it the worst like Monica; their immunity is too low to fight the virus.”

On the day she started the GoFundMe account, Strohl said the level of support was amazing.

“That whole day I was literally answering messages, was on the phone with people calling about her, responding to Facebook and just thanking people the whole day.”

Strohl said she was “thrilled that (the account) reached the goal.”

“I was so grateful, she’s going to be so thrilled, it really will help a lot,” she said. “I’m very grateful to all the people that donated, and I’m very grateful to all the people that care about Monica; she’s a really good-hearted person, she would do anything for anybody.”

Strohl said it’s been difficult not being able to see her sister.

“It’s just a horrible disease, and people are confined in hospitals and nursing homes and they can’t even feed their loved ones and they’re sick and they’re scared; they’re families and friends are scared and want to see them,” she said. “All the prayers and words of hope and kindness, I think that’s what helped her besides the medicine.”

Strohl said that Newhard is “very grateful” for the support.

“We appreciate so much all the thoughts and prayers that were sent to her,” she said. “I talked to her a couple of times, she hasn’t really been on Facebook a lot to see and read everything, but she knows about it that everyone is praying for her to get better, so she really appreciates that.”