CMNH selects Mississippi Champion Ava Clarke Edney for national role
Published on Thursday, January 2, 2025
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
Photos By: Joe Ellis/ UMMC Communications
Ava Clarke Edney, Mississippi’s 2024 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion, will be stepping into a brighter spotlight as one of 14 National Champions for the nonprofit this year.
Ava Clarke, 16, a junior at Northwest Rankin, has been a Children’s of Mississippi patient since infancy, when she was diagnosed with albinism, a condition in which the body produces little to no melanin.
In addition to determining eye, skin and hair color, melanin plays a role in the development and function of the eyes. Ava Clarke is legally blind with nystagmus, or repetitive, involuntary eye movements, and astigmatism, which causes blurred distance and near vision.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ava Clarke to the esteemed group of 2025 National Champions for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Ava's incredible journey, made possible by the exceptional care she received at Children's of Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is a testament to the power of our member hospitals and the impact of community support,” said Dr. Aimee J. Daily, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Ava's advocacy and spirit perfectly embody the mission of CMN Hospitals, and we are so excited to have her share her story and inspire others.”
Children’s of Mississippi CEO Dr. Guy Giesecke congratulated Ava Clarke on this new honor. “We are incredibly proud of Ava Clarke and are thrilled that she will continue to represent Children’s of Mississippi in this new national role,” he said.
Ava Clarke hasn’t let vision impairment stop her from pursuing her dreams. An honor student at Northwest Rankin’s Convergent Media Academy, she has modeled and appeared in movies and a Beyonce music video, reads the news at her high school and looks forward to a career in communications. She plans to earn a degree in marketing and public relations from an Ivy League university and embark on a career as a marketing executive for a luxury merchandise firm or a live sports reporter.
“Representing children’s hospitals across America and Canada and their patients as a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals National Champion is such an honor,” Ava Clarke said. “Having access to specialty care helps patients live up to their full potential. As National Champions, we will share our stories and advocate for children’s hospitals to continue to be beacons of hope and healing.”
Children’s of Mississippi, the pediatric arm of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals member.
Every minute, 72 children enter Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals member hospitals for care ranging from routine to rare. By teaming up with communities and businesses, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $9 billion for 170 children’s hospitals. All donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals help local member hospitals fund what’s needed most, which could range from pediatric medical equipment to child life services and items that bring comfort to patients and their families during difficult hospital stays.
Thanks to Children’s of Mississippi outpatient care including general pediatrics, pediatric ophthalmology, genetics and dentistry, Ava Clarke is reaching her goals and setting new ones.
"I believe I have the best team taking care of me every time I go to the children’s hospital for any reason,” she said. “I feel safe there.”
Starting her modeling career at 3, Ava Clarke will be comfortable as a national spokesperson in this new role.
“I've enjoyed modeling my whole life,” she said. “Some of my earliest and best memories are of me working on set. I've had great opportunities including being featured in ESSENCE magazine, Vogue and Teen Vogue. I've worked with Beyonce twice! The experiences with her are definitely the highlight of my career so far.”
An active student, Ava Clarke has been a pointe-level ballet student at Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy and now performs with The Allure and The Ambassadors, both award-winning choirs at Northwest Rankin. She’s a percussionist in her high school band, playing the drums, xylophone and the timpani.
Her mother, Shala Edney, said she thinks Ava Clarke will balance serving as a National Champion with her active schedule.
“Ava Clarke has enjoyed sharing her story as Mississippi’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion, and she’s looking forward to representing the state at a national level as an advocate for children’s hospitals across North America,” she said.
Dr. Nils Mungan, professor of ophthalmology, has cared for Ava Clarke’s eyes since she was a newborn.
“Ava Clarke has always been very cheerful and outgoing,” Mungan said. “She always brings joy to all those around her. She is very bright and mature beyond her years, and everything she says and does is done with great love and gratitude. I am so proud and honored to be her doctor, and she will be an excellent role model as a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals National Champion.”