GALESVILLE, Wis. (WXOW) – Paula Smith never thought a positive COVID test would change her life forever.

Within months of getting sick, her kidneys began to fail. In November 2024, her doctor told her she would need a transplant.

“My first thought was, 'my whole life is going to change,'” Smith said. "I was very surprised. I really was. Hopefully, things will work out because I’m pretty optimistic about getting a transplant.”

Smith, who is blood type A-positive, now spends three days a week connected to dialysis.

The treatment is keeping her alive, but she said it limits her ability to live the way she used to.

"That’s what’s saving my life right now," Smith said. "So, I’m not going to complain about dialysis. I don’t like doing it, but I do it because I have to.”

She is one of mor

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