Wisconsin woman’s story highlights urgent need for kidney donors | Health

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 more than 1,200 people in Wisconsin waiting for a kidney transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin CEO Mike Crowley. 

“Nationwide, there are 100,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant,” Crowley said. “90,000 of those people are waiting for a kidney transplant.” 

Kidneys are especially vulnerable to chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, according to UW Health—which operates the state’s largest transplant program.

Risk factors also include obesity, family history, and being over the age of 60.

Crowley added that certain demographic groups—including African American, Native American, Asian, and Hmong communities—face even higher risks.

Living donation offers the best chance at survival.

“A living kidney donor decreases the risk of rejection since the evaluation process allows opportunity to find a better match for the recipient. Deceased organ donation, you can live five, eight, 10 years—sometimes longer,” Crowley said. “You can almost double the life expectancy of a living kidney.”

Crowley knows the process firsthand.

On January 8 of this year, he donated one of his kidneys to a stranger through UW Health’s transplant program in Madison.

He said the surgery went smoothly and his recovery was better than expected.

“I was home on January 10th,” Crowley said. “The next day, my pain was a one. And the following day, zero. I have not had any pain or pain meds since that day, which is an amazing thing.”

He said the experience not only helped his recipient, but also set off a paired exchange—a process that can trigger multiple donations.

“Called the Paired Kidney exchange Program,” Crowley said. “I ended up with four lives that were changed and saved through that organ donation.” 

Smith said she is doing everything she can to raise awareness, including placing a “kidney needed” magnet on her car. Her daughter has also been helping her navigate the process with UW Health.

She believes educating the public is key.

“You don’t realize how important that really is until you see somebody that needs an organ,” Smith said.

Crowley agreed that awareness remains one of the biggest hurdles.

“Getting the word out about how easy it is to become a living kidney donor is really important,” Crowley said.

According to UW Health, potential donors undergo extensive medical and psychological evaluations to ensure their safety. Living kidney donors can go on to live normal, healthy lives.

UW Health also notes that the recovery process typically takes up to six weeks. 

For Smith, the hope is simple: a chance to live her life again.

“My whole life will be—I can go back to living,” Smith said.

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