Kyle Ray Lindgren

Kyle Ray Lindgren, 12, of Broomfield, died July 18, surrounded by family and friends.

He was born Dec. 1, 1996.

He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3, and battled cancer the majority of his life. He beat cancer in March, but died of transplant complications at The Children`s Hospital.

He was a student at Westlake Middle School.

Kyle`s life would seem too short to many, but those who were touched by him understood that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives, his family said. Kyle was known to light up a room with his warm smile, his strong desire to live, and quickly became known as a true hero, his family said. He is survived by his mom, Denise Lindgren of Broomfield; brother, Tyler Lindgren, 16; sister, Riley Lindgren, 9; grandparents, Neil and Lee Owens of Broomfield, and family and friends. Kyle has touched the lives of many more as we raised awareness and shared our entire journey with the world, his family said. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Rundus Funeral Home. Memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Broomfield United Methodist Church. Interment will be at Broomfield County Commons Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to A Cure for Kyle, 1100 Inverness St. Broomfield, CO 80020.

From the Broomfield Enterprise Newspaper:

The Broomfield boy who stole hearts, lit up a room with his smile and encouraged hundreds to join the National Bone Marrow Registry, has lost his nearly lifelong battle with leukemia. Kyle Lindgren, 12, died from respiratory complications Saturday at The Children`s Hospital in Aurora. He was surrounded by his family. "I used to pray for a miracle to save Kyle," his mother Denise Lindgren said. "I just realized the miracle was being his mom. That was the most amazing gift from God. "I`m proud. It`s comforting to me to remember all the people who had told me, 'He inspired me,` 'He`s my hero.` When anyone would say that to me, I knew he touched them and I`m so proud." Through it all, Kyle never complained about his tough journey, said Jen Jones, a close family friend. "His immune system was so compromised, he seemed to get every virus out there, even the anti-rejection drugs made him ill," Jones said. "They don`t know what was wrong with his lungs, but he wasn`t able to maintain oxygen. He was placed on a ventilator on July 3, which is hard on even healthy lungs, but it was our only choice (if he were going to survive.) "You wouldn`t think the cure (for his leukemia) would be as cruel as the disease." Kyle was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia soon after his third birthday. He then endured 38 months of chemotherapy. His leukemia relapsed 14 months after the chemotherapy ended and he was back into treatment. He withstood another three years of chemotherapy. Then in October, as a sixth-grader at Westlake Middle School, during a routine examination Kyle learned his leukemia had returned. This time he would need a bone marrow transplant to beat the disease. With no members of his immediate family a match, he sought help from the National Bone Marrow Registry. In November, Westlake sponsored a bone marrow drive to try to find a match for Kyle. On March 11, he received a transplant from a cord blood donation from a Texas baby. Soon after the transplant, his blood counts rebounded, and by April his counts were nearly normal. But Kyle`s body couldn`t handle the anti-rejection medications he was required to take to keep him healthy and he was struck with a series of illness that took advantage of him immune-compromised condition. Kyle was never strong enough to return home from the hospital following the transplant. While Kyle stayed at Children`s with his mother by his side, Jones stayed with his brother, Tyler, 16, and sister, Riley, 9. "He and Tyler were best friends and Riley`s birthday was Friday," Denise said. "I told my kids I had never lost a sibling, yet alone a child. It`s new to all of us and we`re all going to get through this together, be mad together, cry together. We`re a tight little family." A visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Rundus Funeral Home, 1998 W. 10th Ave. A funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Broomfield United Methodist Church, 545 W. 10th Ave., followed by interment at Broomfield County Commons Cemetery. Following the burial, there will be a lunch at the church, at which people are invited to share stories about Kyle