Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland reveals second kidney transplant left her ‘contemplating suicide’
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland has spoken out about the trauma of undergoing two kidney transplants and how the procedure left her “contemplating suicide”.
The 28-year-old actor has kidney dysplasia, which means her kidneys didn’t fully develop at birth, and has had multiple operations throughout her life as a result of her condition.
Speaking to Self magazine, she recalled how her first kidney transplant took place in 2012 when she was 21 years old, but the organ, which was donated by her father, was rejected years later, forcing her to undergo a second transplant in 2017.
“When a family member gives you a second chance at life, and it fails, it almost feels like it’s your fault. It’s not. But it does,” she said.
Hyland recalls undergoing numerous tests and treatments in a bid to save the kidney but was ultimately told by doctors that the rejected kidney “was like a house caught on fire”, who explained “you can’t un-burn a house”.
She began having four hour-long sessions of dialysis three times a week and soon had a nephrectomy to take the old kidney out, which was then replaced with her younger brother’s kidney.
“At that time, I was very depressed,” Hyland recalls.
“For a long time, I was contemplating suicide, because I didn’t want to fail my little brother like I failed my dad.”
The actor went on to explain how she’s always had problems with her health and revealed that aged 21, she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a chronic condition in which tissue that usually lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of it.
She estimates she’s had at least 16 surgeries to date due to her health problems.
A post shared by Sarah Hyland (@sarahhyland) on Dec 10, 2018 at 12:54pm PST
After the interview was published, Hyland wrote a post on Instagram saying she hoped other people would be able to relate to the issues she discussed and “feel like they’re not alone,” adding, “hopefully those that are lucky enough not to experience this will learn about something new and take a moment to appreciate their health.”
