Sarah Hyland is unlike any other 28-year-old.
She is, unarguably, a star.
A recipient of over six awards and admired by an entire millennial generation for her role in the television series ‘Modern Family’, Hyland has a line of achievements to her name.
But her talent and successes are not the only things that make her special.
Hyland has had 16 surgeries in 27 years, seven of them before she turned four. Since her birth, she has suffered from numerous health issues, some of them chronic, like kidney dysplasia.
In an interview with SELF, she opened up about her health journey: two kidney transplants, laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, and surgery to correct an abdominal hernia, among many mental and emotional consequences such as depression and suicidal inclinations.
Hyland was born with a condition called kidney dysplasia.
What is Kidney Dysplasia?
According to MedicineNet, kidney dysplasia is a condition that can occur in babies while they are growing in the womb.
In kidney dysplasia, the internal structures of one or both of the baby’s kidneys do not develop normally. Fluid-filled sacs called cysts replace normal kidney tissue.
The condition usually happens in only one kidney. A baby with one working kidney can grow normally and has few, if any, health problems. Babies with kidney dysplasia affecting both kidneys generally do not survive pregnancy, and those who do survive need dialysis and kidney transplant very early in life.
Highland’s dysplasia was serious, making her suffer a kidney failure. At the age of 21, she had her first kidney transplanted from her father.
However, her body rejected her father’s kidney, and there was nothing that could be done except getting it removed. The doctors told her, “The transplanted kidney was like a house caught on fire. You cannot unburn a house.”
Dialysis
What followed for Hyland was dialysis thrice a week for four hours each: all of which she adjusted with her work schedule and set location, choosing the nearest dialysis centre.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, US,
When your kidneys fail, dialysis keeps your body in balance by:
- removing waste, salt and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body
- keeping a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate
- helping to control blood pressure
While the dialysis itself is painless, it can cause some people’s blood pressure to drop, making them feel sick to to their stomachs, vomit, have a headache or cramps.
According to Dr. Anant Kumar, Chairman, Urology, Renal Transplant and Robotics of Max Saket Complex and Uro-Oncology of Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH), Saket,
Dialysis is an artificial way of living. Out of 100 people living on dialysis, around 30 percent will die in five years and 60-70 percent will die in ten. There are numerous cases of such patients getting admitted to the hospital frequently because of other diseases. Therefore, kidney transplant is always the best option. Dialysis is not a permanent solution.
Second Kidney Transplant
After finally getting the transplanted kidney removed, Hyland needed another. Fortunately, her younger brother was a match. However, the prospect of living healthy in the future felt hazy to her in light of the depression she was in.
I was very depressed. 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. For a long time, I was contemplating suicide, because I didn’t want to fail my little brother like I failed my dad.Sarah Highland
It has now been over a year since she got her second kidney transplant. Both Sarah and her brother are doing well. However, the recovery phase is another struggle that she needs to fight.
As explained by Dr Kumar, while kidneys start working naturally after the transplant, immunosuppressive drugs need to be taken to make the kidney function. These can cause problems like hypertension or facial changes (moon-shaped face), but nothing very major. Transplant can make you as good as normal.
However, he adds, most of these transplanted kidneys work for around ten years. Then they start failing and the patient needs another one.
Some kidney failure patients have had three transplants in their lives. In 40 percent of kidney transplant cases, patients would still be going healthy after ten years. If you cross twenty years with one transplant, then there is little possibility of you ever needing another one.Dr Anant Kumar
The actor, however, has had other health issues to battle. After recovering from the second transplant, she had two surgeries with a gap of a few weeks: a laparoscopic surgery for her endometriosis, and her hernia repair surgery.
Today, Sarah believes she has healed, especially with the support of her dogs, her boyfriend, and her family. She said that even though the list of her health problems seems endless, it cannot stop her from leading a happy life.
“But that list doesn't hold me back from anything. I won't let it.”
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