At just 16 years old, George Godoy received life-altering news: He had been born with one kidney affected by polycystic kidney disease. When he finished high school, Godoy watched as friends and peers excitedly prepared for college and careers. Meanwhile, Godoy had to balance his own goals and plans with the fact he could no longer delay starting dialysis treatments.

“Those first three years on dialysis were the roughest,” Godoy recalls, discussing the difficulty managing his kidney care needs. “I went to the hospital a lot and was in a medically induced coma for quite some time.”

The demanding schedule of in-center hemodialysis ultimately led Godoy to abandon college courses to focus more fully on his health. Through three kidney transplants — and subsequent returns to dialysis when those transplants failed — Godoy developed an outlook that would motivate him:

“[Dialysis] can be hard on you,” Godoy explains, “but I adopted a long time ago a ‘keep moving forward’ mentality.”

Renewed hope arrived for Godoy eight years ago in the form of home hemodialysis (HHD) and a dedicated home dialysis nurse, Sylvia Donato-Moore. By transitioning from in-center treatments to a home modality, Godoy found flexibility to get the dialysis he needed while reclaiming his life and his passion for his hobbies: riding his motorcycle, woodworking, playing guitar and spending time with loved ones.

Godoy felt an immediate connection with Donato-Moore when they first met: She was meticulous in explaining the process of doing treatments at home while always caring for him with empathy and understanding.

“She inspires me because she is very compassionate about this. I don’t think there is anything she doesn’t know about dialysis,” Godoy says of Donato-Moore, whom he considers his “dialysis hero.”

She and the DaVita care team also inspired another transformation for Godoy. In 2024, he set out on a new career path by becoming a DaVita patient care technician (PCT). As a PCT, he provides in-center care for other DaVita patients as well as education on treatment options and managing kidney health day-to-day.

“He feels like he is able to be an advocate for people that are going through what he's going through,” says Donato-Moore.

Today, Godoy continues on his own kidney health journey as he seeks a fourth transplant, but he also finds fulfillment in empowering others on similar journeys and building meaningful connections with both patients and teammates.

“When I started working [at DaVita] I had no idea where it would take me,” he says. “But it's taken me to a place where I have like an unlimited amount of fulfillment and connections with people.”

Watch the complete video hear more from Godoy, including perspective on how his optimism and empathy helps others around him discover that dialysis doesn’t have to define life’s boundaries.