Jacksonville Jaguars player takes teen with cancer to prom


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Jacksonville teen with liver cancer had a special date to her high school prom.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks picked up 18-year-old Khameyea Jennings in his Lamborghini on Saturday evening and took her to the dance at the Jacksonville Zoo.

The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/1EKIrrM) reports that Marks visited Jennings at Wolfson Children's Hospital with a bouquet of flowers on Wednesday and asked if he could take her to the prom.

"I talked with your mom; she said it was OK," Marks told Jennings. "And I heard you had a prom this weekend and I wanted to know if I could take you to prom?"

Jennings had planned to attend the prom with her sister. But Marks' invitation was too good to turn down. So Jennings accepted even though she knows "nothing about sports."

Dreams Come True of Jacksonville had approached the Jaguars about the prom invitation, and Marks jumped at the chance.

"I really want to make a difference," Marks said. "I want to do something where you actually make someone's day, to make a difference in someone's life."

Jennings was diagnosed with cancer on Mother's Day 2013. In March, she lost her grandmother, Margaret Boston, who had helped raise her, to pancreatic cancer.

Laquandra Jennings said her daughter was looking forward to the evening.

"She said this is a day to be normal," her mother said, "Not to have to worry about needles, chemo, potassium levels. Just a day to be a teenager and enjoy the prom."

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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