As a college student, Melanie’s first priorities were doing well in school and pursuing her career goals.

“Then all of a sudden, my life completely changed,” Melanie says.

A kidney biopsy revealed she had lupus, and her kidney function was at 30%. Suddenly, her first priority was taking care of her health.

As she adapted to living with kidney disease, Melanie turned to her DaVita care team, including her social worker. “Whatever I need, they’re there for me,” Melanie says.

Now that Melanie has been treating her kidney disease at home with peritoneal dialysis (PD), she catches up with DaVita CEO Javier Rodriguez to talk about her journey, how her DaVita care team helps her focus on her health journey, and the valuable role social media has played in her finding community.