Penelope Barnes is 66 years old and, before she was diagnosed with CKD, had never been sick a day in her life. An active and ambitious woman, Penelope graduated with a business degree from Vassar in 1962. With money borrowed from her father, a Wall Street financier, she started a skin care company, Luminesque, which went public in 1972—and made her a very wealthy woman. And also the subject of a front page story in the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to running her multinational company, Penelope is also a lifelong tennis player and swimmer—and she excels at both. (In fact, she was an alternate on the US swimming team in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.)

Penelope’s private life has been somewhat less successful. She has been married three times. The first, when she was still in college, was simply a mistake. Both she and her husband were far too young and immature to commit to a lifelong relationship. Her second, in 1968, was sacrificed on the altar of success: her company meant more to her than her husband, and their marriage ended unhappily. Her third, when she was 62, was a half-hearted attempt to succeed in this one area of her life. Unfortunately for Penelope, she married a man considerably younger who considered her main attraction to be her bank account.

Soon after her third divorce, Penelope was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease due to glomerulonephritis. Her doctor told her she had to start dialysis immediately. Penelope was at first shattered. Over time, she became resentful, then angry—and now barely acknowledges any of the other patients at Hope & Main. As a result, both the patients and staff generally keep their distance. And everyone at the center addresses her as Mrs. Barnes, including Dr. Williams.

Meet the rest of the characters of Hope & Main.