Age: 6
Hometown: Ballston Spa
School: Gordon Creek Elementary School
Community involvement: Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region
When Graham Boyd was born in July of 2018, more than three months before his due date, he weighed 1lb 15oz. He spent the first 116 days of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Albany Med, enduring countless procedures, multiple surgeries, and many complications. For the duration of his stay, his parents, feeling helpless, did what they knew how to do: They read books to him every single day.
Six years later, Graham is now a first grader who loves every kind of vehicle, rollercoasters, and, yes, reading. Every year around his birthday, his family collects soda can tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region, as well as books to put in HOPE Bags (Helping Our Preemies Excel), which are given to families who land in the NICU.
“Graham doesn’t fully understand the scope of his NICU stay,” his mom, Christine, says, “but knows that he has many doctors and nurses in his life who have been in his corner cheering him on since day one.” Graham is, however, starting to understand the reasoning behind his family’s yearly book drive. “The mommies and babies are in the hospital for a long time,” he says. “They love reading books together.”
And as for the Ronald McDonald House itself? Graham knows exactly what that is. “Oh,” he says, “I love playing with the trains in the train room when we bring the books!”
This feature is part of a series in which we feature 12 young people from Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region who are making their communities a better place. Know a kid who fits the bill? Send their story to editorial@saratoagliving.com for a chance to be featured in a future issue!