9-Year-Old Killed After Crawling Under School Bus Was Cancer Survivor: 'He Had Already Been Through a Lot'

Family members have identified Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez as the boy killed in the tragic crash at Waterford East Apartments in Orange County on Tuesday

• Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez has been identified as the child who was hit and killed by a school bus in Florida on Tuesday

• According to his family, the 9-year-old was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2, and was in remission at the time of his death

• A vigil was held for the boy Wednesday evening at the apartment complex where he was hit

The 9-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a school bus in Florida was a childhood cancer survivor who dreamed of being a professional athlete, according to family.

Family members have identified the boy involved in the tragic crash at Waterford East Apartments in Orange County on Tuesday as Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez, according to NBC affiliate WESH and ABC affiliate WZVN-TV.

The Lawton Chiles Elementary student exited the bus at the apartment complex shortly before crawling underneath the vehicle, according to previous reports. A relative said the boy was attempting to retrieve a football at the time of the incident.

Marshall-Rodriguez was in remission for leukemia, which he was diagnosed with at age 2, according to WZVN-TV and a GoFundMe campaign for the boy’s family.

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Trenae Gayle, who organized the online fundraiser, told WESH that her cousin previously “went through the Make-A-Wish Foundation because of how severe” his cancer was.

“He just got his port taken out last year,” Gayle told the station. “He had already been through a lot in his life.”

The boy also dreamed of “going to the NBA [or] NFL one day,” according to his cousin.

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As Thursday afternoon, nearly $20,000 has been raised via GoFundMe to support Marshall-Rodriguez’s family following his sudden death.

"He was loved throughout his community in Waterford East by his neighbors and friends," the organizer wrote in a message on the fundraising page. "His loss is truly unbearable and undeserving."

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A vigil for the boy was held Wednesday night, according to WESH and WZVN-TV. More than 100 people were in attendance

A memorial for Marshall-Rodriguez has also been started outside the apartment complex where he died, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

"We can already feel that shift in the home," Gayle said, per the outlet. "It’s going to be very hard. We just have to take it day by day."

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