Recently, Sarah Hyland's name has been circulating every news outlet due to her fight with chronic illness.
Hyland was born with kidney dysplasia, a condition where the kidneys do not form properly while the child is in the womb. Kidney dysplasia causes cysts to grow on the kidneys thus impairing their function.
Most patients with the condition can go on to have varying levels of health complications; however, Hyland's was so severe that she went into kidney failure. In 2012, her father was a match and gave her one of his kidneys. She was only 21 at the time.
Later in 2016, Hyland"s body rejected the new kidney, and she needed to have it removed. She, unbeknownst to the media, had another kidney transplant. Her brother being the second kidney donor.
In an interview with Self, Hyland describes her journey through this process. Hyland told the media outlet, "When a family member gives you second chance at life, and it fails, it almost feels as if it's your fault."
The actress also goes on to say that she faced depression and contemplated suicide while going through dialysis and the removal of her failed kidney.
Sarah Hyland is not the only celebrity whose health journey has been broadcasted in the media recently. Selena Gomez has also faced a battle with a chronic illness, albeit different from Hyland's.
Selena Gomez has lupus, an autoimmune disease that can affect multiple organs in the body. An autoimmune disease is an illness where the immune system attacks the healthy tissues in the body as if they were foreign invaders.
Gomez was diagnosed 6 years ago with the autoimmune disease and has faced a number of complications, including kidney failure and subsequently a kidney transplant.
Both actresses have gone through significant trauma but have kept their heads high.
While everyone's journeys with chronic illness are different, there are differences between the celebrity and civilian experience.
As someone battling chronic illness, it is both empowering and dismaying to watch these women.
It seems as though both women had fairly quick processes once their matches were found.
On average, it takes 3-5 years for a civilian to find a kidney donor. The procedure also costs up to $260,000. The wait list for a kidney alone has 93,000 people on it.
Most people facing organ transplants do not have the financial stability to pay for the procedures like these two talented women. Finding matches that quickly also seems unlikely.
While hearing their struggles with chronic illness helps the regular person not feel alone, it can also make them feel as though the process won't be so swift for them.
I am not at all discounting the long roads Hyland and Gomez have been down, but in a situation like this, it's important to remember there are two sides to the journey.
To donate to the Lupus Research Alliance, click the following link: https://www.classy.org/give/123231/#!/donation/checkout
To become an organ donor, click the following link: https://www.organdonor.gov/register.html
