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St. Cloud Mourns 16-Year-Old Who Died On Bus

By Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) -- A St. Cloud community is trying to come to terms with the sudden death of a teenager, whose heart stopped while he was on the school bus.

Sixteen-year-old Kyle Biendara was taken to the hospital Tuesday, after a very short ride on the school bus, but he didn't make it.

The bus picked him up at Apollo High School in St. Cloud and was making a stop at North Junior High when Biendara collapsed.

"I was just scared and then I went home and all I could do was just cry, and cry for his family," said Tim Miller, a friend of Biendara's.

Miller didn't see Biendara get on the bus but mutual friends told him that he hadn't been feeling well that day.

"Everybody said that he was like, before he got on the bus, he was sweating, and that he was dizzy before he got on the bus," he said.

Biendara's aunt said the family is devastated by the sudden and shocking loss. She said he didn't have any preexisting conditions that could've led to this.

"Absolutely none," Debbie Biendara said.

Everyone who knew Biendara describes him in the same way.

"He was the funniest in the family," Debbie Biendara said. "He was the character. He kept everybody laughing."

Counselors were made available to students all day at Apollo High School. Principal Charlie Eisenreich said a few students had stopped by for counseling sessions.

WCCO-TV's Esme Murphy Reports

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