Coco Austin is trying to stay strong from afar as her father battles the new coronavirus (COVID-19).
Wednesday the first Ice loves coconut Star, 41, opened to page six about how she feels her family is “falling apart” after her father Steve was hospitalized in Arizona due to the coronavirus. Austin said his father has pneumonia in both lungs and that a ventilator may be necessary.
She said she wants him to “get ahead,” but shared that “it doesn’t look good.”
“I’ve been sending as much love as I can, but I can only do so much from a distance,” Austin told the media. “I want to be in the room with him right now and hold his hand, and just let him know that his family loves him, that he must move on, and that it is too soon for him to leave.”
According to Austin, his father is “at the point where he can’t even speak,” and he is “so frustrated that he’s in this position that he doesn’t want to talk on the phone.” The actress added that two of her aunts also contracted the coronavirus.
“It’s like, ‘OMG, my family is falling apart,'” Austin told Page Six. “We are here thinking that we came to Arizona to escape the madness in New York and New Jersey, and I feel like we are now swallowing it up in the rush that just happened here.”
RELATED: Shanna Moakler tests positive for coronavirus: ‘exhausted in a way I can’t even describe’
Never miss a story: sign up Free daily PEOPLE newsletter to keep up to date with the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories
Austin explained that his father began experiencing symptoms on Father’s Day, initially feeling lethargic and noticeably less energetic. He then had trouble breathing and felt pins and needles, but did not seek treatment until nine days after the onset of symptoms.
The actress, who shares 4-year-old daughter Chanel with her husband Ice T, said she wants fans to learn about her situation and “know that I didn’t feel like my family could be touched.” She also emphasized the importance of wearing a mask.
“To know that the healthiest person in this family is about to use a fan, they are talking about it, which is really difficult because I’m almost the closest family,” he said. “I have a really big family and they put it in my hand to make these decisions, so it has been very difficult to have to speak.”
RELATED VIDEO: RhonyRamona’s singer says she and daughter Avery tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus
RELATED: Celebrities who have lost loved ones to coronavirus
On Instagram, Austin shared family photos of herself with Steve, calling his father “tough as an ox” and adding that the diagnosis was a surprise since he “never gets sick.”
“My, tough as an ox dad, the one who never goes to the doctor, the one who doesn’t even take tylenol for pain, the one who never gets sick, [we’re] speaking of the original Steve Austin (because that is his real name) he is in the ICU that requires oxygen for # covid19, “he wrote Tuesday.” He has trouble breathing and feels like he’s been stabbed with pins all over his body. “
“For all the people who say it can’t happen to your family … think again,” Austin continued. “Send happy thoughts to my father and all the families who are dealing with it ❤”.
Ice T, 62, shared an update on his father-in-law’s health on Thursday, tweeting that Steve is “doing everything possible to avoid using the respirator” during his third day in the ICU.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic changes rapidly, PEOPLE is committed to providing the latest data on our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whoand local public health departments. People has partnered with GoFundMe Fundraiser for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraising event to support everything from frontline staff to families in need, as well as organizations that help communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
