Sarah Hyland reveals she had a second kidney transplant, surgery for endometriosis

"Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland opened up about her medical issues for the first time. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

“Modern Family” actress Sarah Hyland finally opened up about the slew of medical issues that she’s vaguely alluded to in the past. The star went as far as to reveal that things got so bad that she contemplated suicide at her lowest point.

Speaking in a vulnerable and wide-ranging interview with Self, the 28-year-old actress got candid about her most recent surgeries, detailing the extent of her medical history. It was previously made public that she lives with kidney dysplasia, which essentially means her kidneys did not form correctly when she was in the womb. She was open about the fact that her father gave her his kidney in 2012.

“But what most people don’t know is that about two years ago exactly, I went into rejection,” the star says in the video below before breaking into tears.

Although she doesn’t know why, the organ gifted to her by her father didn’t take properly and she was forced to go on dialysis for three days a week for four hours. However, that was only a temporary solution and her health started to get worse once again.

“When a family member gives you a second chance at life and it fails, it almost feels like it’s your fault… and it’s not. But it does,” she says. “We did all of these tests and all of these treatments to try and save the kidney, but they basically said the transplanted kidney was like a house that caught on fire, you can’t un-burn a house.”

Fortunately, Hyland learned that her younger brother was a match and was willing to give his kidney to her in a second attempt to correct her failing health. While she was obviously grateful, she admits the fear led her down a dark road.

“For a long time, I was contemplating suicide, because I didn't want to fail my little brother like I failed my dad,” she told the outlet. “I had gone through [my whole life] always being a burden, of always having to be looked after, having to be cared for.”

Fortunately for both Hyland and her fans, she talked with someone about the thoughts she was having and underwent the surgery in September 2017, just three days after meeting her current boyfriend, Wells Adams.

While the star is in a much better place, she also revealed to Self that new health problems have emerged in addition to her kidney issues. Hyland underwent a laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis and to repair a hernia that went unnoticed for about a year. In total, she said she's had 16 surgeries, six in the last 16 months.

The star jokes about having a list of things that describe her, which includes her medical issues.

“But that list doesn't hold me back from anything. I won't let it,” she concludes.