Take Ruth for example. Doctor after doctor misdiagnosed or shrugged off her rashes, swelling, fevers and severe pain for six years. She saved her life by begging for one more test in an emergency room about to send her home, again, without answers. (Incredible photos from David Goldman.)

3 times a week, Alex Berrios spends 4 hours tethered to a dialysis machine. The grueling treatments at 5 a.m. is the only way the father of two can both stay alive and hold down a fulltime job."People are feeling desperate for a change in the status quo," Berrios said.

"If there is an alternative out there to dialysis, definitely," Carl McNew told me. Medications and intermittent dialysis are helping but McNew knows he’ll eventually need a transplant. "I don't necessarily want to live like this and it's a real possibility."