Sarah Hyland Reveals How Her Second Kidney Transplant Almost Killed Her

Known to be one of the most famous television stars of her generation, Sarah Hyland seemed to be having the time of her life with the success of Modern Family. People think that celebrities always just splurge and have fun holidays when they’re not working, but there are some like Hyland, who has unfortunately been struggling for years now.

Living with a Chronic Illness

It was revealed that the TV actress has been battling with kidney dysplasia ever since she was just a child. In an interview with Seventeen, Hyland revealed that doctors often tell her mother how her daughter wouldn’t have a normal life. This is what pushed her to do the things she loves no matter how difficult it may be. It was in 2012 when she first had a kidney transplant and it was even donated by her own father. That’s when she said she knew that her family will always be there for her. Hyland said how she was constantly tired and in pain because of her illness and it was a miracle that her father was a match.

View this post on Instagram

I say words here (link in bio) that hopefully others can relate to and feel like they’re not alone. Hopefully those that are lucky enough not to experience this will learn about something new and take a moment to appreciate their health. Thank you so much to all the love and light I have received today. I love you all ❤️

A post shared by Sarah Hyland (@sarahhyland) on Dec 10, 2018 at 12:54pm PST

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, kidney dysplasia occurs when an infant’s kidneys weren’t able to develop the way it was supposed to and cysts start to grow in replace of the kidney tissues. This is something that happens with one of the kidneys while still in the womb, however, babies born with it don’t usually end up having any chronic or severe illnesses growing up.

In some rare cases, on the other hand, babies who turned out to have both their kidneys affected will either not survive for long or have a chronic illness as they grow older. The later obviously happened to Hyland and she is now facing some real-life health struggles her entire life. She even said in an interview how she usually has to suffer from the pain even while she is on the set of Modern Family.

A few years after she got the new kidney from her father, her body started to reject it even more that causes unbearable pain. Hyland had to spend the holidays and even her birthday at the hospital in order for the doctors to figure out how to help her.

It was revealed that her body treats the new kidney so differently that it can’t accept it any longer. She even said in an interview how her medical team compared her kidney to a house that was caught on fire, which means it can no longer be saved. It was in 2017 when she started to have dialysis, which requires her to be hooked up to a machine that happens three times a week for four hours. This is when she started losing more weight and her face ended up swelling because of the drugs she had to take. It also damaged her vision because of her unstable blood pressure.

Second Kidney Transplant

Unfortunately for the Modern Family actress, the dialysis wasn’t enough and doctors had to remove her father’s kidney from her and get a new one immediately. They needed to find a donor and luckily for Sarah, her younger brother Ian Hyland was compatible and was willing to give up one of his kidneys to his sister.

He said that fear rushed through him when he found out that his older sister was struggling once more and he was glad he was able to help her. It may seem as if things are doing great now but the 28-year-old actress got very depressed over what happened to her in the past few years.

View this post on Instagram

So honored to have attended the #amfAR #gala last night! Nearly 37 million people around the world are living with #HIV. Nearly 5 thousand more become infected every day. The #AIDS epidemic is still not over, and a new generation is at risk. Let’s make AIDS history once and for all. To date, #amfARLosAngeles has raised more than $13 million for amfAR’s lifesaving research programs. Please join me in helping @amfAR raise awareness and make strides in the mission to find a cure. #amfAR #BeEpic #BeEpicEndAIDS

A post shared by Sarah Hyland (@sarahhyland) on Oct 19, 2018 at 9:46am PDT

She admitted that she was too grateful for her dad donating one of his kidneys to her and she felt that it was her fault that it failed. It’s like the second chance that was given to her was wasted and she felt completely helpless. The fact that her brother donated his kidney to her this time around made her feel even more pressured that she even contemplated suicide since she doesn’t want to waste her brother’s kidney if it fails again. Hyland felt like a burden to her family her entire life was something she can’t help but feel.

So to be able to get through it, she continues to try and stay strong so that she can work. That is because she considers her job as something that gets her mind off things, and her dogs have been helping her cope with it as well.