Amber Jones is the daughter of Shane Justice and Jamie Bingham from Huntington, and is married to Jesse Jones. Amber and Jesse live in Huntington and have a son, Keegan, who is seven years old.
Amber was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2007. She goes to the Utah Central Clinic in Price to do dialysis three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for four hours at a time. She gets very tired and really sick from it, but is still maintaining a part-time job and is a full-time mom. It takes a while for a person’s body to get adjusted to dialysis. In four hours, they’re doing what the body usually does in 48 hours.
At first, Jones thought it was her gallbladder because she was always sick to her stomach. When she had an ultrasound, the doctor found her kidneys covered in cysts. Since polycystic kidney disease is hereditary, Amber’s mother had it but received a transplant in 2006.
For almost three years now, Amber has been on the transplant list. uofulivingdonor.org provides more information on becoming a donor or interested parties can call Sarah Scutts, a living donor coordinator, at (801) 585-3202. There is also a GoFundMe account set up for Jones under Kidney4Amber, where donations can be made for medical expenses, travel and treatment.
“I do appreciate everyone that has been helping me,” she said. “I am very grateful for all of the donations and those who have thought about me.”
Those who are not donors should consider becoming one. One organ donor can save up to eight lives. More than 120,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants.