'He Inspired:' Beloved Cancer-Stricken Bergen Catholic Teen Dies

ORADELL – Even after his high track team had a successful season in 2018, his teammates still thought of Kyle Egan.

Bergen Catholic won a division title, but they did it while showing their support for Kyle, the school said. Every athlete had a 'K' sticker placed on their chest (#KforKyle).

They also did the American Sign Language sign for "K" after every event.

"Every effort at this meet was dedicated to sophomore Kyle Egan who recently began treatment for osteosarcoma," Bergen Catholic wrote on Twitter following a successful 2018 championship meet.

Kyle died this past week after fighting that long battle with cancer. And now the many people who were inspired by him – friends, school administrators and even other schools – have been showing that same spirit for him that he showed for everything.

"Mr. Egan shared with us how much Bergen Catholic meant to Kyle and the important role our school played in his life," Bergen Catholic wrote in a tribute to him.

"We are heartbroken as Kyle was an inspiration to many of our students, faculty and staff."

Kyle Patrick Egan, 17, of Saddle River, died peacefully while surrounded by his family on Thursday, according to his obituary.

Born in Staten Island, Kyle lived in Brooklyn Heights before moving to Saddle River in 2004. He attended Wandell School in Saddle River and Eric Smith Middle School in Ramsey. Kyle was a senior at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, according to his obituary.

Kyle ran for the Bergen Catholic cross country and track teams and inspired his teammates on and off the track, his obituary said.

"His dedication to the Bergen Catholic school community continued each summer through his work at the Bergen Catholic bookstore," his obituary said. "Playing the piano through his illness brought Kyle solace and great joy to his family and friends."

The Connors Family posted a condolence on his obituary, saying: "Every time we have ever seen Kyle, even while battling this horrible disease, he always had the same happy, infectious smile and shining eyes that projected the loving, kind soul that he was."

School president Brian Mahoney told nj.com that Egan "not only was he an inspiration to so many, Kyle was a good friend and a great classmate."

“Kyle was never a quitter. He could brighten up the room not because he was sick but because he was Kyle. That was the kind of person he was,” he told nj.com.

Kyle is survived by his parents, Timothy and Paige, his sister Kristen and brother Ryan.

The Egan family received friends on Sunday at the Vander Plaat Funeral home (www.vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff. Funeral Mass was held on Monday. Interment followed in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah.

Donations in Kyle’s memory can be made to MIB Agents (www.mibagents.org) an organization dedicated to Making It Better (MIB) for kids with osteosarcoma, bone cancer.