Sarah Hyland of ‘Modern Family’ reveals her battle with kidney disease

July 31, 2016

By Talia Ralph

Sarah Hyland, who plays boy-crazy teenager Haley Dunphy on "Modern Family," revealed her long battle with kidney disease in an interview with Seventeen magazine, published in the June/July issue.

“I would be in a lot of pain a lot of the time," the 21-year-old actress, who was diagnosed with abnormal kidney development at age nine, told Good Morning America. "If I didn’t get, like, 12 hours of sleep, It felt like none at all."

However, she pushed forward with her acting career, often sitting down while filming to give her body a break or texting to hide her exhaustion, CNN reported.

“You know, if you’re sick, you still go to work. And in between takes, you sit down, or you lay your head down or something,” Hyland said, according to CNN.

As her pain got worse, Hyland began searching for an organ donor, and her father, actor Edward James Hyland, ended up being a perfect match. He gave his daughter a kidney last month, according to celebrity blog Hollywood Life.

"You know that family is going to be there for you no matter what," Hyland told Seventeen. "My dad gave me a freakin' kidney!"

More from GlobalPost: NBC says new lineup is "heavy on comedy"

Hyland also credited her boyfriend Matt Prokop, whom she met on “High School Musical 3” and has since made an appearance on “Modern Family” as her on-screen love interest, with helping her through her recovery, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"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,” she said. “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 also told Seventeen that she is taking on the role of a youth ambassador with the Lopez Foundation, created by actor George Lopez to increase transplant awareness among underpriviledged youth.

“Know that you’re not alone," the actress tells kids in her position, Good Morning America reported. "Even though it may seem like it a lot of the time. And that if you ask, ‘Why me?’ Well, why not you? You know? It makes you the person that you are today.”