Who Sarah Hyland Is and What She Has Lived Through
Sarah Hyland spent eleven years playing Haley Dunphy on “Modern Family,” one of the most watched comedies on American television.
Offscreen, she was managing something the cameras rarely caught.
Hyland was born with kidney dysplasia, a condition where one or both kidneys do not develop normally before birth.
She has lived with it since she was a child, and it eventually led to two kidney transplants in her twenties.
Hyland is 35 years old as of this writing. She is alive, healthy, and in the middle of one of the busiest stretches of her career.
She played Daisy Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” on Broadway in early 2025, and she is currently starring as Connie Francis opposite Jonathan Groff in “Just in Time,” a run that continues into March 2026.
This article looks at what actually happened with her kidney disease and transplants, what she has said about the toll it took on her mental health, and what current research shows about exercise, recovery, and depression risk for people who have been through a transplant.
What Actually Happened: Two Kidneys, Two Family Members
Hyland’s kidney dysplasia caused her near constant pain for years.
She has described 27 years of what she called “almost always being in pain,” according to Yahoo Entertainment’s coverage of her comments.
At 21, she received her first kidney transplant. Her father was the donor.
The surgery gave her real relief, but it did not last forever.
Roughly four years later, her body began rejecting that kidney.
She has described the failure in blunt terms.
“the transplanted kidney was like a house that caught on fire”
Sarah Hyland, quoted by TODAY
In 2017, she received a second transplant. This time, the donor was her younger brother, Ian.
Giving up a kidney is not a small thing to ask of anyone, let alone a sibling.
Hyland has called it an enormous gift, and she has spoken about the particular emotional weight of receiving an organ from someone she loves rather than a stranger.
The Mental Health Side Nobody Talks About
What makes Hyland’s story stand out is not just the surgeries themselves.
It is how openly she has talked about what those surgeries did to her mental health.
During the period when her first transplant was failing, she has said she fell into a deep depression.
She has also disclosed that she had suicidal thoughts during that stretch, driven in part by fear of what would happen if the next transplant failed too.
“For a long time, I was contemplating suicide, because I didn’t want to fail my little brother”
Sarah Hyland, quoted by TODAY
That quote is hard to read, and it is meant to be taken seriously, not treated as a dramatic aside.
Hyland was describing a real crisis point, tied directly to the fear of receiving a second gift of an organ and having her body reject it again.
She has since used her platform, including work with the National Kidney Foundation, to talk openly about the connection between chronic physical illness and mental health.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text in the United States, any time, at no cost.
In Her Own Words
Hyland has also talked about what her body went through while she was still filming “Modern Family” and quietly getting sicker.
“I was not able to be awake for like eight hours at a time. I was so exhausted all the time”
Sarah Hyland, quoted by the National Kidney Foundation
That level of fatigue is a common feature of advanced kidney disease, not a personal failing or a lack of effort.
She has said she sometimes does not remember filming certain episodes because of how exhausted her body was at the time.
Telling that story publicly, rather than hiding it behind a working actress’s schedule, is part of why her account has resonated with other people managing chronic illness.
What Research Says About Exercise After a Kidney Transplant
Kidney transplant recipients are often told to “take it easy,” but that advice undersells what a well built exercise plan can actually do.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis in the journal Renal Failure pooled results from 23 randomized controlled trials covering 1,139 kidney transplant recipients.
The researchers, led by Rachel Billany, found that structured exercise programs produced real, measurable improvements.
Cardiorespiratory fitness rose by an average of 3.87 mL/kg/min, a meaningful gain in how efficiently the body uses oxygen during activity.
Physical function improved too, with participants completing about 7.72 more repetitions on a standard sit-to-stand test after training.
HDL cholesterol, the kind associated with lower cardiovascular risk, also increased slightly.
Most of the programs in these trials combined aerobic and resistance training, usually over about 12 weeks, with sessions ranging from two to seven times a week.
The review’s authors were careful to note that all 23 trials carried some risk of bias, and that larger, longer studies are still needed before exercise can be called a proven part of standard post-transplant care.
Even with that caveat, the direction of the evidence is consistent. Supervised, structured movement helps transplant recipients function better, not worse.
The Real Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression
Hyland’s account of depression and suicidal thoughts is not an isolated data point.
A large 2022 study published in Scientific Reports tracked depression across three matched groups in South Korea: kidney transplant recipients, people with end stage kidney disease who had not received a transplant, and healthy controls.
The researchers, led by Sena Cho, found that depression was far less common in transplant recipients than in people still on dialysis or awaiting a transplant.
The incidence rate was 18.87 cases per 1,000 person years in transplant recipients, compared to 58.03 per 1,000 person years in people with untreated end stage kidney disease.
That gap suggests a transplant itself can meaningfully improve mental health for many patients, likely tied to feeling physically better and regaining some independence.
But the same study found that within the transplant group, certain patients remained at higher risk: older adults, women, people with lower economic resources, and people managing several health conditions at once.
The researchers also found something sobering. When depression did develop after a transplant, it was linked to a higher risk of both death and graft failure, meaning the transplanted kidney being rejected.
That finding is a strong argument for treating mental health as a real, measurable part of transplant recovery, not an afterthought.
What This Evidence Does Not Prove
Neither of these studies followed Sarah Hyland specifically, and neither can tell us exactly what caused her depression or exactly what helped her recover from it.
The exercise research shows average group improvements, not a guarantee for any one person.
Some transplant recipients have complications, medication side effects, or other health conditions that change what kind of movement is safe for them.
The depression research is observational, meaning it can show a strong association between transplant status and lower depression rates, but it cannot prove the transplant alone caused that difference.
Other factors, like access to care, family support, and individual coping resources, almost certainly play a role too, and Hyland has specifically credited her family’s support as central to her recovery.
It’s also worth saying plainly that having a successful transplant does not automatically protect someone from depression, as the same study’s risk factor findings make clear.
Who Should Talk to a Doctor First
Anyone who has had an organ transplant should build any new exercise plan together with their transplant team, not on their own.
Medications used to prevent organ rejection can affect bone density, blood pressure, and how the body responds to physical stress, so what counts as safe activity can look different from person to person.
Anyone experiencing new or worsening depression, hopelessness, or thoughts of self harm should reach out to a mental health professional or their medical team right away, not wait for a “better time.”
People managing chronic kidney disease who have not yet needed a transplant should also loop their nephrologist in before starting a new exercise routine, since kidney function can affect fluid balance and electrolyte levels during activity.
Family members and caregivers supporting someone through transplant recovery should know that depression is common enough in this group to watch for, not something to dismiss as “just stress.”
None of this article is a substitute for a real evaluation from a qualified healthcare provider who knows a patient’s full medical history.
How to Rebuild Activity Safely After a Transplant or Major Surgery
Start with medical clearance. A transplant team can tell you exactly when it is safe to begin light activity and when to hold off.
Expect a slow ramp up. Most of the successful programs in the research above built gradually over about 12 weeks, not overnight.
Combine aerobic and resistance work. The strongest results in the Renal Failure review came from programs that mixed both, rather than relying on one type of exercise alone.
Track function, not just weight or appearance. Simple markers like how many times you can stand up from a chair in 30 seconds are useful, meaningful ways to measure real progress.
Build in accountability. A qualified personal trainer who is willing to coordinate with your medical team can help, once your doctor has signed off.
Treat mental health as part of physical recovery, not a separate issue. Ask your care team about screening for depression and anxiety during transplant follow up visits, since both are common and treatable.
Lean on people who understand. Hyland has said her brother’s decision to become her donor changed how she thought about family support, and connecting with others who have been through transplant recovery can help normalize a difficult process.
Start with walking if you are cleared for it. A simple daily walking habit is often the safest, most accessible first step back into regular movement, and our guide on how many miles you should walk a day breaks down reasonable targets for different fitness levels.
Give it real time. Hyland’s own story spans more than a decade, from her first transplant at 21 to the healthy, working life she describes today, and most recoveries from major surgery are measured in months and years, not weeks.
References
- National Kidney Foundation, “Overcoming Chronic Illness in the Public Eye: Sarah Hyland’s Transplant Journey”: kidney.org
- TODAY, “Sarah Hyland reveals 2nd kidney transplant: ‘I was contemplating suicide'”: today.com
- Yahoo Entertainment, “‘Modern Family’ star Sarah Hyland discusses kidney disease, suicidal thoughts”: yahoo.com
- Billany, R. E., Bishop, N. C., Castle, E. M., Graham-Brown, M. P. M., Greenwood, S. A., Lightfoot, C. J., & Wilkinson, T. J. (2025). Physical activity interventions in adult kidney transplant recipients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Renal Failure, 47(1), 2480246. doi.org/10.1080/0886022X.2025.2480246
- Cho, S., Park, S., Kim, J. E., Yu, M., Baek, S. H., Han, K., Lee, H., Kim, D. K., Joo, K. W., Kim, Y. S., & Kim, Y. C. (2022). Incidence of depression in kidney transplant recipients in South Korea: a long-term population-based study. Scientific Reports, 12, 17603. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20828-x
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are managing chronic kidney disease, recovering from a transplant, or struggling with your mental health, talk to a qualified healthcare provider. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States.
