‘Resilient’ 9-year-old cancer survivor killed by school bus in Florida, family says
A 9-year-old boy who was hit and killed by his elementary school bus after getting dropped off from school had previously battled lymphoma and was in remission, his family said.
The Lawton Chiles Elementary School student had just been dropped off at his Orlando apartment complex on Jan. 16 when a football rolled under the bus, McClatchy News reported.
The bus driver didn’t see the child crawl back under the bus to grab the ball and started to pull away, running over the boy with the rear wheel, according to a preliminary report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The child died, FHP said, and no charges had been released against the veteran bus driver as of Jan. 17, McClatchy News reported.
More than 100 people gathered at the complex that night to hold a vigil for the boy, identified by his family as Elyas Amyr Marshall-Rodriguez, WOFL reported.
Elyas’ family was joined by neighbors, classmates and members of his football team at the vigil, according to the outlet.
“You are my gift no matter what. Mommy loves you so much. I will miss your love and hugs and kisses,” a woman who goes by Princess PaintingmyDreams Marshall on Facebook said in a Jan. 18 post. “Everyone was at (your) memorial, left (you) all the plushies, said so many nice things about you. You touched everyone’s life. You will never be forgotten and always missed and loved.”
In a GoFundMe started on behalf of the family, Elyas’ cousin, Trenae Gayle, said he was “a resilient and energy-filled boy with a joy of life.”
Elyas was diagnosed with lymphoma, when he was 2 years old, Gayle said, and had undergone treatment before recently going into remission.
“Despite this grueling journey he always had a smile on his face,” Gayle said.
Gayle told WESH that Elyas had worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation because of the severity of his illness and had “already been through a lot in his life.”
Elyas loved sports and dreamed of playing in the National Football League, Gayle said on the GoFundMe page.
“His loss is truly unbearable and undeserving,” Gayle wrote.
The details of his death are still under investigation by FHP, and more information is expected to be released.
This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 3:03 PM with the headline "‘Resilient’ 9-year-old cancer survivor killed by school bus in Florida, family says."
