Modern Family's Star Reveals Kidney Transplant after Battling Deteriorating Condition for More than a Decade
“Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland, 21, revealed that she has battled kidney dysplasia throughout her life and had recently underwent a kidney transplant in April.
Hyland told Seventeen magazine that her father had donated one of his kidneys to her.
"You know that family is going to be there for you- no matter what. My dad gave me a freakin' kidney!" Hyland told Seventeen. "But it's also the families that you create outside of your family. And you really find out what kind of people you're friends with.
Hyland was diagnosed with kidney dysplasia when she was nine years old, and before she getting the kidney transplant procedure in April, her condition had been increasingly getting worse.
Her kidney condition frequently left her exhausted or in pain. As her health deteriorated she started seeking an organ donor, and her father, actor Edward James Hyland, turned out to be a match.
Hyland told Seventeen that her boyfriend, actor Matt Prokop, is very supportive.
“He helps me with my medication and takes me to doctor appointments and all the stuff that I need to do to take care of myself. Any other 21-year-old guy would not be there, I guarantee it. I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have him be there for me,” Hyland said to the magazine.
Hyland expressed how thankful she is for the love and support of her friends and family.
"I have a second chance at life – not a lot of people get that," she said.
Kidney dysplasia, also called multicystic dysplastic kidney, is a condition that occurs when the kidneys do not form properly during the fetal development stage, instead fluid-filled sacs called cysts grow and replace normal kidney tissue in the organ, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The condition usually happens in only one kidney, and infants affected by the disease are able to grow normally without severe health problems. However, children born with kidney dysplasia in both kidneys generally do not survive pregnancy and those that do will need dialysis and kidney transplant at a very young age.
Kidney dysplasia can currently be diagnosed while the baby is still in the womb, and a renal and bladder ultrasound is conducted after birth to confirm the condition, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
According to Children's Hospital Boston, the kidney condition happens once out of every 4,300 live births and is more prevalent among white people, and equally common in both genders.
Experts say that if the condition is limited to one kidney and the child experiences no symptoms, treatment is generally unnecessary. However the child should have regular blood pressure measurements, blood tests to measure kidney function, urine testing for protein, and be undergo periodic ultrasounds to monitor the affected kidney and that the other unaffected kidney is growing properly.
Removal of the affected kidney should only be considered if the child experiences symptoms of pain, high blood pressure and ultrasound tests show abnormal changes to the organ.