Parents' plea for kidney transplant for daughter

All Radhika wanted was for her little four-year-old daughter Aryia to have a normal childhood.

Aryia has complete kidney failure and relies on a dialysis machine to keep her alive.

However, doctors have warned her parents that time is running out before her home dialysis ceases to be effective.

Radhika, who lives in Windsor, said: "I just pray there is a match for my girl."

Aryia likes Peppa Pig, the colour purple and her favourite animals are elephants. What she does not like is dialysis.

Born with cysts on her kidneys, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when she was two years old.

A year later her kidneys were failing and she was admitted in the intensive care unit.

Radhika said: "It has really stunted her growth.

"She really is the smallest four-year-old that I know. She is quite weak compared to her cousins from a similar age."

Aryia's O+ blood type makes it difficult to find a compatible donor.

What makes it "heart-breaking" is that her parents would be a match, but due to a rare gene they both carry, doctors say they cannot donate.

They have been told waiting times all depend on her blood type and ethnicity.

As she has a rare blood type, it could take years to find her a new kidney.

Without one she faces a lifetime of hospital visits to keep her body clear of toxins.

Kidney Care UK provides support and financial grants to thousands of patients and families every year.

The charity's policy director Fiona Loud said waiting times are the highest they have ever been and "there are about 7,200 people presently waiting and hoping for a kidney and a couple of hundred of those will be children".

Aryia's parents said: "We've had multiple friends and family tested.

"We've reached out to our social media. Made our Facebook public just to reach out more."

When asked what she admires the most about Ayria, Radhika said "she's stronger than I am".

"I don't know how she does it. We go to hospital appointments every few weeks.

"We spend a day at the hospital and she is still always smiling at the end."