When Kelvon was 4 years old, he fell at the playground. That’s not unusual for a 4-year-old, but after that, he started having pain in his right leg that sometimes bothered him and sometimes disappeared. When the pain returned so severe he couldn’t sit down, his mom, Dani, knew he needed medical care. 

“When the pediatrician saw the first scans of his leg, they told us we needed to go to the hospital immediately,” said Dani.

A strong start 

Testing and imaging led to a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma of the right pelvis. Kelvon started a chemotherapy regimen that required regular short-term hospital stays. Eventually, he was able to have surgery to remove the tumor from his pelvis. 

It was a difficult time for him and his family, traveling frequently from College Station to Houston for treatment and navigating his recovery from surgery, which initially required him to be wheelchair bound. 

“He was so young. Everything was scary to him, and it was hard to watch him go through that. But the hardest part was not knowing exactly what the future would look like,” said Dani.

Despite these difficulties, Dani cites the staff as key players in helping them through their cancer journey. From the experienced nurses to the wealth of resources through the child life specialists, Kelvon and his family received the support they needed to make the best of each day and eventually ring the bell, signaling successful completion of his treatment. 

A second round

Close follow-up showed no return of Kelvon’s cancer at first, but at his 10-month check-up, imaging showed the cancer had come back. The good news was that the cancer showed signs of only local growth without any distant spread, but having to go back through treatment was difficult for Kelvon and his family. 

“We knew it wasn’t going to be a simple repeat of the first treatment. Now we were talking about a port versus IV treatment. But we tried to give Kelvon as many choices as possible, and I think that helped,” said Dani.

Kelvon made it through this phase of chemotherapy, and an associated 6 weeks of radiation treatments, like a champ. Using special tools, such as virtual reality goggles, he was able to go through most of his therapies without anesthesia, which enabled him to go to school afterward rather than stay in the hospital for monitoring. 

He finished this round of treatment in January 2026. 

Back home

Now 7 years old, Kelvon has surgery, radiation and multiple courses of chemotherapy behind him. While he had difficulty walking after his surgery, he is now back on the playground running and playing, imitating his favorite superhero, Spider-Man, just like any other kid. His time in the hospital created an interest in medicine, and he now wants to be either a veterinarian or a doctor when he grows up.

To other families who care for a child with cancer, Dani’s main advice is to take care of yourself and lean on all the support Kinder Children’s Cancer Center offers families. 

“Take the help provided because I didn't for the longest time and it was such a game changer when I started utilizing those resources. That’s what they’re there for,” said Dani. 

Learn more about Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center.