Family launches nonprofit to honor teen lost to rapid iGAS meningitis

Keilly Byrd-Purtell, a 16-year-old in Bellingham, died on Jan. 2 from invasive group A strep infection with meningitis and sepsis. In her memory, her family founded the Keilly Rose Love, Legacy & Awareness nonprofit to educate about rapid infections, support affected families, and fund prevention efforts, as health officials stressed that there were no reported contagious meningitis cases at the time.