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A’Rihanna’s Fight: Vicksburg Family Seeks Kidney Donor to Save 5-Year-Old’s Life

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A'Rihanna Kidney Transplant
A’Rihanna Janae Ames Photo Submitted

VICKSBURG, Miss. — The family of 5-year-old A’Rihanna Janae Ames is sharing her story in the hope of finding a kidney donor. Her family, including her mother, Shannon Randleston, and father, Tommy Ames Jr., is asking for support in finding a match.

A’Rihanna and her sister, Rihanna, were born prematurely. Rihanna died at birth, making A’Rihanna a “twin-less twin.” She was born with underdeveloped kidneys and was diagnosed with Stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD).

“I’ve always known since she was a baby that she would need a kidney and she would have to start dialysis,” said A’Rihanna’s mother Shannon Randleston. “I didn’t think that we would have to start at the age of five.”

A’Rihanna and her mother, Shannon Randleston

The family visits to the doctor has increased from every four months to now every two weeks. In a visit to the doctor last month, the family was told that A’Rihanna’s kidneys were not getting any stronger, and she would now have to start dialysis to save her life.

“They (the doctors) really prefer her to get the transplant and not dialysis, but if dialysis is gonna save her and give us some time to get a kidney then that’s the route we have to go,” said Randleston.

Randleston said that both her and A’Rihanna’s father Tommy Ames Jr. are both putting their names on the donor list, but is concerned that if neither of them are a match, she hopes that someone will come forward to be a donor.

“When you see your baby go through so much and she’s so full of life, and she really doesn’t have any idea what is wrong with her,” said A’Rihanna’s mother. “She thinks it’s normal to take a lot of medicine three times a day, she even takes blood-pressure medicine.”

Potential donors must be between 18 and 73 years old with O-positive blood type. Living donation, which typically offers better outcomes than deceased donor transplants, involves a minimally invasive surgery and a short recovery period, usually about two weeks. Donor costs are covered by the family’s insurance, and a dedicated healthcare team supports the donor throughout the process.

A’Rihanna with her father, Tommy Ames Jr.

Those interested in learning more about becoming a living donor can visit the National Kidney Foundation’s website or contact the transplant center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) through UMMC’s donor portal. The NKF helpline is also available at 855-NKF-CARES (855-653-2273).

“Keep sharing. Somebody’s out there that’s going to help us. If I’m not able to do it or her father is not able to do it, somebody is going to help,” said A’Rihanna’s mother, “Somebody is going to come forward to help save this baby.”

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