Doctors Found a 20-Pound Tumor. Her Teacher Refused to Let Her Fight Alone

May 22, 2026

When 7-year-old Khalani Jennings was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, one teacher made sure she never had to face the battle feeling forgotten.

While Khalani endured surgeries and months of chemotherapy, her music teacher stepped in with a simple mission: remind her student that an entire school community was still singing beside her.

Dominee and Khalani / Credit: WTVR CBS 6

Khalani, of Blackstone, Virginia, was diagnosed last fall with embryonal sarcoma after doctors discovered a 20-pound tumor growing on her liver. The young girl spent much of the school year away from classmates while receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

But even from miles away, Khalani remained part of her classroom thanks to music teacher Dominee Kaiser.

“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 after learning of the diagnosis.

Kaiser stayed in close contact with the family throughout Khalani’s treatment. She put together care packages, made trips to Richmond to visit her student, and worked to keep Khalani connected to her classmates during the long months away from school.

For Khalani’s mother, LaToya Jennings, those acts of kindness meant more than words could express.

“When she reached out to me and was like, ‘I want to include her,’ it made me feel like we weren’t alone,” LaToya said. “That people were thinking of us and praying for us.”

But what Kaiser did last month is something the Jennings family will never forget.

Wanting Khalani to feel the love of her school community in a bigger way, Kaiser and the students at Blackstone Primary School dedicated their spring concert to the brave 7-year-old. During the performance, students sang “Rise Up” by Andra Day, a powerful tribute to a little girl fighting through the toughest season of her life.

Khalani joined virtually from home, waving a scarf to the rhythm of the music as her classmates performed in her honor.

Kaiser said making sure every child feels seen and included is one of the most important parts of being a teacher.

“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,” she said.

This month, Khalani officially rang the bell marking the end of her cancer treatment. Although she won’t return to school until the fall because of her immune system, her classmates and teacher are already excited to welcome her back.

And when she does walk back into that music classroom, she’ll know something powerful: even in the middle of her hardest battle, her teacher never stopped showing up for her.