Teen cancer patient at Children's Hospital of Richmond's carnival prom 'just tries to be the joy'

RICHMOND, Va. — Young patients at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU traded their treatment rooms for a carnival Saturday night.

Hematology and oncology staff transformed the Children's Pavilion into a colorful prom experience for patients from toddlers to teenagers.

The annual event gives patients who may have missed school dances and other milestones due to their treatments a chance to feel like any other kid for a night.

Professional makeup artists offered hair, makeup, glitter tattoos and nail painting. The evening also featured dancing, carnival games, a fortune teller, food and more surprises.

Crystal Bennett attended with her daughter, Skyler, who was diagnosed at 12 with Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The blood disorder eventually destroyed her entire lower left jaw. Skyler has been undergoing chemotherapy and steroids and is nearing the end of her treatment.

Because Skyler is immunocompromised, the family rarely ventures out in public. Bennett said events like this one, held in a safe and controlled environment, mean everything.

"Having this provided for us lets us feel normal. It lets us experience things that other kids that are not sick are experiencing," Bennett said. "It's just to have fun... any sense of normalcy that we can find, we try to do it."

Bennett said her daughter has approached her illness with remarkable grace and positivity, turning her own struggle into an opportunity to lift others.

"She was scared at first, obviously any child would be scared at first, but she drastically changed and said instead of 'Why me, God?' — 'How can I be the light to other people?'" Bennett said. "When we come into clinic, she actually packs little goodie bags for all the other kids and passes those out. She just tries to be the joy of everybody and everything."

Bennett said Skyler's hair has recently begun growing back after treatment, and that the staff was still able to add glitter and shimmer to make her feel special for the night.

"I saw one little girl, she got her wig curled, super cute, so she came out smiling really big for that," Bennett said.

For Bennett, watching her daughter navigate a serious illness one day at a time has required leaning on faith and finding small moments of happiness wherever possible.

"Each day we do try to seek joy — good times, bad times. Let's find one thing, even if it's a simple thing like, oh, I like this color blue pen today," Bennett said. "We are extremely proud. The only way we've gotten through this is our faith."

Bennett said the event also gave Skyler a chance to connect with other children experiencing similar challenges.

"She gets to connect with the other patients on that level that none of us understand, but they all understand because they're going through it together," Bennett said.

This year's event also included a parent massage station, a new addition that Bennett said was a welcome touch for caregivers.