At 12 years old, Milagros was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. In Milagros’ case, the disease attacked her kidneys, and a few years after her diagnosis, her kidneys completely shut down. Milagros had to start going to dialysis three times a week for three to four hours to be connected to a machine that does the work of the kidneys. Throughout all of this, she relied on her father to be her rock, but her world was turned upside down once again when he passed away from lung cancer in 2016. At 20 years old, the challenges she has faced have been tough, but through it all her strong spirit, positivity and big smile have prevailed. March is National Kidney Month.