BLACKSTONE, Va. — Khalani Jennings, a 7-year-old from Blackstone, Virginia, rang the bell this month, officially marking the end of her cancer treatment.
Her cancer journey started in the fall when Khalani was experiencing unbearable pain on her right side.
Her mom took her to the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU where, in October, she was diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor on her liver.
"It was an embryonal sarcoma, which is very rare," LaToya Jennings said. "And because of sarcoma, we had to move fast, because sarcomas spread quickly."
Doctors removed the 20-pound tumor from her body, and she went through months of in-patient chemotherapy.
"It just hurt," Khalani said. "I thought I was going to be sick forever."
Khalani loves music, specifically Taylor Swift, and her mom says singing has been a form of therapy for her daughter, who has spent most of this school year away from her small town without her friends and classmates.
"People used to call and check on me to see how I was feeling," Khalani said.
"The outpouring of love and support from everyone has meant so much," LaToya said.
Khalani's music teacher, Dominee Kaiser, kept her connected to her class throughout her treatment. Kaiser put together care packages for Khalani and made trips to Richmond to visit.
"I was overcome with emotion and feeling when I heard about her diagnosis, and I knew right away that I wanted to be able to support her as her music teacher, in whatever capacity that I could," Kaiser said.
Last month, Blackstone Primary's spring concert was dedicated to Khalani and her fight against cancer.
Students sang "Rise Up" by Andra Day.
"It meant everything," a tearful LaToya said. "When she reached out to me and was like I want to include her, it just it made me feel like we weren't alone, and that people were thinking of us and praying for us."
"If I were in her shoes, I would want to be included, and I would want to know that my school still cares about me, and that's very important to me, that all of my students, regardless of ability or language or any other barrier, that they are included," Kaiser said.
Khalani made a virtual appearance at the concert, waving a scarf to the rhythm of the song.
"She's doing big girl things and handling this diagnosis and coming through the champion that she is," LaToya said.
While Khalani's immune system won't allow her to return to school this spring, Kaiser and her class are looking forward to welcoming her back for a live performance this fall.
"That would be fun, and it would be nice to have her back," classmate TraMichael Bragg said.
"We're all in this together," Kaiser said. "This has brought us together, and the music has brought us together."
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