Modern Family star, Sarah Hyland, has openly spoken about her physical and mental health struggles in the past.
But now she's getting even more real with her fans by showing them her transplant battle scar on social media.
Modern Family star, Sarah Hyland, has openly spoken about her physical and mental health struggles in the past.
But now she's getting even more real with her fans by showing them her transplant battle scar on social media.
She's had two kidney transplants, laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, and surgery to correct an abdominal hernia.
Her father gave her one of his kidneys — but she was far from being out of the woods.
She later opened up in an interview — revealing the full story.
"When a family member gives you a second chance at life and it fails, it almost feels like it's your fault," she said.
But she said the doctors described her situation as "a house that's caught on fire".
“You can't un-burn a house," she said.
It required having the device inserted under her skin on her chest.
She explained that it looked like she had a broken collar bone, or something.
“I called it my tube titty,” she said.
"I had gone through 26 years of always being a burden — of always having to be looked after," she said. "It's a really helpless feeling."
"When a second family member — someone you're supposed to look after, like a little brother, wants to give you a third chance at life, it's scary because you don't want to fail them."
But she had the surgery, and the prognosis was positive.
Trolls dragged her for admitting to wearing two pairs of Spanx under her dress at this year's Oscars — considering how thin she is.
However, she explained she wasn't wearing the Spanx to appear thinner. She was wearing them to hide her "transplant bulge."
She posted a photo on Instagram, showing off her transplant scars, encouraging everyone to own their imperfections.
"#showyourscars" she captioned the photo.
“The Scars make you you, and I think that that is a beautiful thing," one fan wrote.
“Thank you Sarah. I've struggled with my tummy scars since my son's birth, and you putting it all out there means the world," wrote another.
This person explained that they use the same strategy with their underwear to hide their scars, and thanked Sarah for putting herself out there — opening up to the transplant community.
They encouraged Sarah to wear hers as a "badge of life."
They went on to say that their scars are a reminder of strength.
Sarah is definitely a huge inspiration to everyone feeling the effects of chronic illness — proving to them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
#ShowYourScars