Living with a chronic illness for her entire life,Sarah Hylandhas learned more than a few lessons.
“Everything happens for a reason,” says Hyland, who was born with kidney dysplasia, a condition in which the kidneys don’t fully develop in the womb. “[Struggles are] only going to make you a stronger and more efficient person.”
“When I found out, there was a nice cocktail of guilt, fear and a kind of hopelessness,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue, on stands Friday. “But also it was like, okay, this is now a part of your life.”
Brian Bowen Smith
And in an unexpected twist, Hyland had her first date with her now-fiancé, podcast host andBachelor in ParadisebartenderWells Adams, just days before the surgery.
“I had all these health issues at the very beginning of our relationship and then I was on massive amounts of painkillers in the hospital FaceTiming him at all hours of the day and night,” says Hyland with a laugh. “He still liked me after that!”
Now happily planning her wedding, Hyland, who stars onModern Family’s final season (premiering Sept. 25) and both stars in and executive producedThe Wedding Year(in theaters Friday), won’t dwell on her difficult past.
Sarah Hyland.Brian Bowen Smith
“People who have chronic illness should take the time to say, ‘This isn’t fair,’” she says. “Take a moment to cry and be like ‘F you’ to whomever did this to me. It’s okay to feel angry, just don’t let it be all-consuming.”
Jake Chessum/Trunk Archive
And ultimately, “I have realized the benefits of being able to talk about it,” says Hyland, who initially shied away from going public with her second transplant. “Not just for on a mental level for myself, but so that others don’t feel so alone.”
Modern Familypremieres its final season on Sept. 25 on ABC.The Wedding Yearis in theaters Friday.
source: people.com
