This week, the family received a huge blessing. A local organization granted little Kehlani's dream and is providing a ray of light.

DUSON, La. (KLFY)-- A little girl from Duson is showing others the power of resilience and love. At only 3 years old, she's had to fight for her life, battling cancer, then losing her home in a fire.

News 10 first introduced the Francis family in October 2023 after they lost everything. The family of five was completely starting over.

This week, the family received a huge blessing. A local organization granted little Kehlani's dream and is providing a ray of light.

"I'm here to ask you, what would you like for a big dream?" Becky Prejean, executive director of Dreams Come True, asked Kehlani Francis.

She enthusiastically replied, "A giraffe!"

Kehlani has been through a lot for her young age. At only 6 months old, she was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer. After battling cancer for years, doctors declared her cancer-free. On her third birthday in September 2023, Kehlani finally rang the bell in the hospital.

"It was the best feeling in the world, honestly," Kehlani's dad, Marlon Francis, recalled.

A month later, the Francis family faced another tragedy.

"We lost everything. Our family car burnt down with it. It's just ashes. I lost a baby earlier this year. Her ashes were in there. My husband's baby books. My daughter has just beat cancer. She has medication that was in there that burned down, so we are going to have to figure out how to get all of that. Everything is gone. It's literally ashes," Kehlani's stepmother, Shantija Francis, told News 10 in an interview in October.

The Francis family lost everything in a house fire.

"Tt just felt like the world collapsed under us," Marlon Francis remembered.

It just so happened Prejean was watching the news the night News 10 aired the Francis' story.

"Honestly I heard about it on KLFY, and when I heard the story and that she had cancer, that's when I reached out," Prejean said.

She runs Dreams Come True, an organization that grants dreams to children in Louisiana with life-threatening illnesses. She wanted to help Kehlani and her family.

After months of planning, this week, Kehlani's dream became a reality. Prejean sat inside Borden's Ice Cream Shoppe across from Kehlani and her father, Marlon, excited to share the news. She asked Kehlani what her dream would be.

"I want to see a crocodile!" Kehlani told her.

"They have Animal Kingdom at Disney. Would you like to see them there?" Prejean asked the small girl in front of her. Kehlani nodded her head yes.

"You're going to stay at Give Kids the World. It's a resort for families just like y'all," Prejean told her.

"How?" Kehlani asked.

"Because people help support," Prejean responded.

It took a second for reality to hit Kehlani, but when it did, she shouted all her favorite Disney characters in excitement.

It was the surprise of a lifetime for Kehlani and her family.

"It means so much to us that our story got out there. We're actually being seen. This community just pulling together to help out a family that they don't even know in hardship. I'm just very thankful," Marlon Francis said. "Kehlani, she's a little wild right now, but she's so thankful. She's enjoying her moment, and she deserves it."

The Francis family is now re-building their home, and Kehlani is still cancer free.

"Everything is going up, and the trajectory is just great for us," her father added.

Now, the family also has something special to look forward to.

"People ask me, 'Becky, how do you keep doing it?' Well, it's days like this that are fuel to keep me going, and that's what we're here for, to grant dreams," Prejean said with a smile.

Now all that's left is for Kehlani and her family to decide when they want to head to the happiest place on earth.

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