The Boyd Family

Andrew & Adrienne Boyd have served together in ministry for the past 24 years. While Andrew has been the person officially on Young Life staff, the entire family has served together on mission for years. After beginning their relationship together at Wake Forest University in the 1990s, they served in multiple communities through the years, returning to Winston-Salem, NC in 2015. Ryan (21) is a student at Liberty University, a Wyldlife leader at Sandusky Middle School, and served as a summer intern at Windy Gap this past summer. Mary (19) is a student at Elon University, a Young Life leader at Western Alamance High School, and is pursuing a career as a high school English teacher. Will (17) has used his musical gifts at camp through the years, and is looking forward to serving on work crew in the summer of 2024.

Three months after moving to W-S, Adrienne was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The condition has grown worse over the years to the point of constant suffering and isolation from things she loves. A few years later Andrew began experiencing severe fatigue, followed by a number of other issues which led to a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In 2022 Andrew suffered a freak foot injury in a hotel (stepped on a metal sewing needle that got embedded) which triggered a new wave of symptoms. In July 2023 Andrew's cognitive dysfunction reached a low point. This combined with the physical ailments forced him to need to take a medical leave from Forsyth County Young Life. After an initial three month period (Aug 1 - Nov 1) it was determined that Andrew had not progressed to the point of full time work being attainable. The medical leave was extended for another 3 months. Adrienne has been disabled from working due to her condition for many years now.

While the Boyds will continue to receive benefits from Young Life through January, Andrew will no longer be paid after November 30th. The hope is that he will return to optimal health and functional ability in the coming months, however there is a real possibility that this condition keeps him from meaningful work for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately there are a lot of uncertainties with both conditions and effective medical help is difficult to find. During the past four months the Boyds have contacted 13 different medical centers or clinics seeking advanced care. Getting an appointment is always the first challenge as most of the clinics only accept a few patients at a time or have waitlists that extend out as far as 12 months. The second challenge is the cost, as a number of them do not take insurance for office visits or lab work. Fortunately claims have been submitted and the Boyds have not had to pay 100% of the cost each time.

During this time of hardship we are asking individuals to pray for the Boyd family and to support financially if led to do so. After a 2.9% fee charged by GoFundMe, the rest of the money will go directly to the Boyd family to cover medical costs and living expenses. Gifts to GoFundMe are not considered tax deductible.

Andrew and Adrienne will continue to update their situation through their Caring Bridge site , and will be transparent regarding gifts received and how the funds are utilized. Any further needs due to extended disability or additional medical expenses will be addressed at a later date.