Hospitalized North Allegheny senior honored with ‘Purple Out'

WEXFORD, Pa. — North Allegheny students, faculty and community members dedicated Thursday a “purple out” to show their support for a senior who has been in the hospital the past two weeks.

Kayla Conroy, 17, was admitted to UPMC Children’s Hospital about two weeks ago with flu-like symptoms, but has remained in the hospital as doctors work to try to diagnose her.

“We have been by her side every day and continue to pray that the doctors are able to heal her,” Conroy’s brother, Nick Conroy, posted on his Facebook page.

Conroy’s favorite color is purple, and the students and staff at North Allegheny wore purple Thursday to show their support for Conroy.

Her family and friends who helped organize the gesture said they wanted to make sure she knew how much support she has.

“She’s pretty sick in the hospital, and they don’t know what’s wrong with her. So the whole school wore purple today. Everyone did it,” North Allegheny senior Dylan Ackerman said. “It pretty much looked like a garden. Everyone was wearing purple for her.”

Channel 11’s Cara Sapida found several members of the community also wearing purple, including workers at the McDonald’s near the high school where Kayla works.

“Kayla is the most beautiful girl, inside and out,” Nick Conroy wrote. “She has a heart of gold, and she is our sweet angel.”

Family members said they had wanted nothing more than for everyone they know to wear purple to support Kayla. They said they got that, and a lot more.

WPXI