Sarah Hyland Posts Sweet Tribute to Her Brother for Giving Her an Organ: 'Happy Kidneyversary'

Sarah Hyland is expressing her gratitude for her baby brother on the anniversary of her kidney transplant.

On Thursday, the Modern Family actress — who was born with kidney dysplasia, a condition in which the kidneys don’t fully develop in the womb — celebrated two years since her brother Ian Hyland donated his kidney to save her life.

“2 years ago today my precious little brother gave me the gift of life,” Sarah, 28, wrote beside an Instagram photo of herself in a gorgeous navy gown next to her brother.

“Thank you for not only giving me your f—— kidney but for everything else you do,” she continued. “I love you so much @thehotterhyland ❤️ happy Kidneyversary!!!!”

Ian, 24, returned the sweet gesture by posting the same photo on his Instagram account and praising his sister in the caption.

“Happy Kidneyversary to an incredible older sister and all-around badass,” he wrote. “I am so happy that you are living your dreams and have such an incredible year and life ahead of you. You make me so proud to be your brother. I love you, sis!”

Ian’s kidney transplant in 2017 was the second time Sarah had to undergo surgery. The star underwent her first kidney transplant surgery in 2012, which was donated by her father Edward, but she discovered four years later that the organ was failing.

In order to prepare for her next surgery, Sarah went on dialysis — a temporary treatment where a machine filters blood in and out, which is typically the kidney’s job — for almost a year. During that time, her Modern Family costars were known to wear surgical masks to protect her fragile immune system.

Immunosuppressants led Sarah’s face to swell, and bed rest meant significant weight loss, which prompted painful speculation and public criticism about her appearance. Those rumors combined with feeling like she let her father down after his kidney failed was enough to make Sarah contemplate suicide she later revealed.

However, she was able to get through it by reaching out and talking to people, including her now-fiancé, Wells Adams, who she went on her first date with just days before her second surgery.

Speaking to PEOPLE recently, Sarah revealed that the unconventional start of her relationship with the podcast host and  Bachelor in Paradise bartender allowed the couple to connect in a different way than most do.

“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,” she said with a laugh. “He still liked me after that somehow! So it definitely brought us closer together and forced us to have a relationship that was very serious from the start.”

• For more from Sarah Hyland, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

“It was completely not normal, because we were not allowed to do certain things for a while,” she added. “Health-wise, [because of] the surgery, can’t really do it. We weren’t able to have that physical part of the relationship like you normally have in the beginning, so that bonded us on an emotional and intellectual level much faster.”

Now happily planning her wedding, Sarah, who stars on Modern Family’s final season (premiering Sept. 25) and both stars in and executive produced The Wedding Year (in theaters Friday), won’t dwell on her difficult past.

“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 whoever did this to me. It’s okay to feel angry, just don’t let it be all-consuming.”

And ultimately, “I have realized the benefits of being able to talk about it,” said the actress, 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.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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