A 15-year-old soccer fan has died of cancer just hours before he was set to be the guest of honor at his favorite team’s game.
Jordan Rodriguez was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2015 and passed early Saturday morning after battling his second bout of the disease.
His death came just hours before he was meant to see the Sporting Kansas City team play.
But despite his passing the team kept their word, placing a jersey with his name embroidered on the back on the open seat where he would have watched.
Jordan Rodriguez was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2015 and died Saturday morning after battling his second bout of the disease
The Sporting Kansas City soccer team honored him with a jersey placed on his empty seat
During a pre-game ceremony, Sporting KC recognized Jordan with a moment of silence followed by fans chanting his name.
After beating the disease and getting diagnosed a second time in January, The Victory Project got in contact with Jordan.
The Victory Project focuses its efforts on children battling life threatening illnesses for a second, third or fourth time – granting them a ‘second wish’.
‘We still wanted to do something to honor him and his life,’ said Brandi Thomas with the Victory Project. ‘We circled back with his family to make sure they were comfortable with it, and once they were, we marked his place in that seat.’
‘He lit up the room so we were just really fortunate to have met him, spent time with him,’ Thomas said.
Though Jordan did not make it to see a Sporting KC game in person, he was granted his wish to have his bedroom transformed into a gaming room in April.
With the help of HGTV designer Jennifer Bertrand, Jordan’s room was flipped into the ultimate gaming room with a $6,000 gaming computer and sports murals on the walls.
Sporting KC player Brad Evans was there unveil the new room to Jordan and present him with a soccer ball signed by the entire Sporting KC team.
‘He knew he would be spending a lot more time at home, and he wanted a place where he could just get away from everything,’ Thomas said. ‘When he saw it, he said he was never going to leave his room.’
In April, Sporting KC player Brad Evans met Jordan and presented him with a signed soccer ball
Friends of the family started a GoFundMe on Jordan’s behalf to raise money for medical costs once he was diagnosed for a second time.
The page describes Jordan as loving the outdoors, playing sports and most of all ‘being a boy’.
He was diagnosed with lifelong Medulloblastoma in April of 2015 and after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy was cancer free.
That was until this January when another tumor was found on his brain. In all, a PET scan showed three tumors on his spine, one on his tail bone and two on his chaest.
Jordan’s parents were told there would be limited time with their son, so they set out to accomplish as many things on his bucket list as possible, including his new room and seeing Sporting KC.
With the help of the Victory Project and Sporting KC, he was able to reach some of his goals.
His friends and family describe Jordan as loving the outdoors, playing sports and most of all ‘being a boy’