At their football game last Friday, players, cheerleaders and coaches at Central Bucks East High School remembered a former player and graduate who passed away from cancer, writes Ed Doyle for TAPinto Doylestown.
Connor Boyle, the CB East alumnus, was attending Villanova University when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Boyle passed away in August 2022 after a three-year battle with the disease.
At the game, coaches and cheerleaders wore T-shirts featuring Boyle’s name.
A table near the entrance provided information on The Connor Initiative: Precision Therapeutics for Osteosarcoma & Rare Cancers at CHOP. The program is dedicated to determining treatments for osteosarcoma and similar rare cancers.
An announcement at the beginning of the game shared Boyle’s story and details about the program.
Connor’s father, Matt Boyle, attended the game to support the team and take part in honoring his son.
“One of Connor’s biggest regrets was that he couldn’t compete,” Matt said. “So last year, my message to the team was, ‘You have an opportunity to compete. Take advantage of it.’”
Matt was asked if it was a challenge to return to the field after his son’s passing.
“There’s nothing in my life that will ever be as hard as what Connor endured,” his father said. “So for me to come here to a football game is easy. I sat and watched him battle for three years.”
Read more about how the Central Bucks East High School community honored Connor Boyle’s memory in TAPinto Doylestown.
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