Ruby Boyd: The Gem of Livingston
hospital, Dever-Boaz began updating her
When parents bring home a newborn baby,
they generally expect happiness, joy, and a
lack of sleep. For Joseph and Natalie Boyd,
though, it involved more stress, worry, and
fear, than they ever imagined when
bringing home their daughter Ruby Faye
Boyd.
Born on December 5, 2018, Ruby Boyd was
barely a month old when she became ill
while visiting family outside Atlanta. Finally,
after weeks in and out of different hospital
rooms in Atlanta, she is now home.
UWA strength and conditioning coach
Joseph Boyd and assistant softball coach
Natalie Boyd anxiously awaited the birth of
their second child, adding a sibling for their
son, Luke Boyd. When Ruby became ill,
Natalie contacted head softball coach Carie
Dever-Boaz for comfort and prayers.
“I could hear it in her [Natalie] voice that
she was really worried about Ruby and that
they were taking her to the doctor. She was
worried it was RSV…I knew something was
not good,” Dever-Boaz said. “We basically
just stayed in contact as much as we could.
We would either text or talk or email; we
were just in non-stop contact.”
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a
common virus that progresses from cold-
like symptoms to pneumonia and other
serious illnesses in young babies. Ruby
continued to suffer in the Pulmonary
Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Children’s
Hospital of Atlanta, progressing into
pneumonia, collapsed lungs, and being
hooked up to feeding tubes and assisted
oxygen.
Shortly after Ruby was taken to the
Facebook followers and asking for prayers
for Ruby Boyd.
“I watched it start with me just putting it on
my personal Facebook page and then it was
like, ‘Can I share this?’” Dever-Boaz said.
“She has no clue how many people were
praying for her.”
While the posts came as often as Natalie
could update everyone, Ruby continued to
fight every minute of every day. It was a
one step forward, two steps back battle
from Ruby, who was placed on oxygen, a
feeding tube, ventilators, and medicines to
fight infections. She also suffered from
collapsed lungs and rejection of the
antibiotics.
“The prayer chains were incredibly uplifting.
It was awesome to see people going to the
Lord for our baby girl, someone that a lot of
those selfless people had no connection
and never met,” Natalie Boyd said. “We are
forever grateful to Coach Carie and
everyone who prayed! The power of prayer
is more than enough!”
Natalie and Joseph Boyd relied on family
and friends to lift them up through the
entire process. The main struggle came
from balancing praying for a sick child and
caring for a healthy, young, child.
“It was the most challenging thing Joseph
and I have ever been through. It was the
longest we've ever been away from our son
Luke. We had one baby who was fighting
for her life and another baby that we
couldn't hug tight each night,” Natalie said.
“We owe everything to the doctors and
nurses that saved our baby in that ICU. God
has given them an amazing ability to help
those in need, and we will never forget how
they helped us.”
Not only have strangers prayed and shared
the Facebook posts, members of the
Livingston community have reached out to
Dever-Boaz for as many updates as possible
about the gem of Livingston.
and he got to spend lots of time with
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins!”
If Natalie Boyd could tell herself one thing
at the beginning of this experience, it would
be to “believe and breathe.”
Dever-Boaz believes the number of people
on the Boyds’ side helped bring Ruby home.

“It’s been amazing to see what she’s done, “I really believe that the only reason she’s
even for the community in Livingston alive is that there were so many people
because there were people that I know that pounding on Heaven’s gate saying ‘No, not
didn’t know Nat or Ruby or even didn’t now, it’s not time,’” Dever-Boaz said.
know me that were calling, or texting, or
anything, that wanted to know how she was
doing,” Dever-Boaz said.

UWA Athletics and the Livingston

community have rallied around Ruby for her
return home with posts being shared by
baseball coach Gary Rundles, football coach
Brett Gilliland, and former men’s soccer
coach Matthew Thorne.

“You hear so many negative things about

social media, but this is just a prime
example of the great things that can come
out of it,” Dever-Boaz said, “She was on
prayer chains from New York to California,
so I know she was covered.”

Ruby is now recovering at home, spending

as much time as possible in the arms of her
parents. While she still has a long way to go,
Livingston is a better place with its gem safe
and sound.

“Ruby is doing well. Her immune system is

still a bit compromised from strenuous
medical intervention, but it'll just take time
for her to be completely healthy,” Natalie
said. “Luke handled everything like a
champ! We have a great support system