Ariel Winter slams 'hate tweets' after speaking out about her cousin's deadly infection

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter revealed Monday that her cousin Tino Tsutras, whose medical problems she has shared with fans, was admitted to an Atlanta hospital for a life-threatening infection over the weekend.

An update on Tsutras' GoFundMe page said that doctors had diagnosed him with haemophilus influenzae, which, if left unchecked, "could have led to untreatable and deadly bacterial meningitis." 

"He is currently out of the ICU, but is still under close monitoring and will continue to have many tests run over the coming days," the GoFundMe page read. "Tino is still in pain and not completely out of hot water but things are turning towards the better much faster than expected." 

In an Instagram Stories post, Winter said that doctors advised that if Tino "hadn’t gone on Friday, he most likely wouldn’t have made it. They have made some progress diagnosing him and he is a little bit better, but will be in the hospital and unable to work for a long time.”

Winter repeated her call for donations, adding, "I love my cousin so much. He is an incredible person that deserves all the love and support in the world. It would mean a lot to me if anyone would consider donating to his recovery fund. Anything helps."

Her plea did not go over well with some social media critics, who suggested she use her TV salary to pay for her cousin's medical treatment.

“I’m shocked at how many people have sent me hate tweets about my cousin instead of a simple, kind message showing him some love and support,” Winter tweeted in response. “Nothing else needed to be done aside from that. I re-posted a gofundme that my cousin’s friend made just as anyone else would. Hurtful."

As of Wednesday, the Tino Tsutras Recovery Fund had surpassed its goal of $15,000 and was well on its way to $20,000.

Sarah Hyland, who plays Winter's older sister on "Modern Family," was among the first to donate to Tsutras' GoFundMe. Last year, Winter reportedly donated to a campaign to help pay funeral expenses for Hyland's cousin, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver.

Hyland, too, took grief from trolls – and it was bad enough to prompt her to take a break from social media.

"You guys finally did it," she tweeted in December. "Your horrible negative ignorant words have broken me. Happy? Staying offline for a while."