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Vol. 71 No. 18 | April 29, 2020 southphillyreview.com
Point Breeze teen already pursuing medical breakthroughs By Mark Zimmaro SOUTH PHILLY REVIEW
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athaniel Boyd loves to hear his alarm before 5 a.m. Rise and shine starts with a meeting with a personal trainer, followed by a full day of school and basketball practice, where he was a captain of an extremely successful high school program. The limited time he’s not in class or dunking a basketball, Boyd works on ridding the world of one of the most dangerous forms of breast cancer. It’s all in a day’s work for the notso-normal 18-year-old who grew up in the Point Breeze neighborhood of South Philadelphia. “I break it up into increments,” Boyd said. “The first increment is my solo time. Just time to start thinking, and get my body ready for the day.” Boyd’s preparation speaks volumes to his outlook on life and the way he surpassed limitations. His parents divorced when Boyd was just 2 years old and he grew up without much money, living with his father in South Philly. He attended the Stephen Girard School on Snyder Avenue before taking two buses to middle school at William M. Meredith on 5th Street. It was at that point that Boyd knew he could find success if he was willing to chase it. “The first step of me experiencing a new world was going to Meredith and experiencing new opportunities and a new culture,” Boyd said. “That independent nature of mine really See NATHANIEL, page 4 >>
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Side-by-side: Nathaniel Boyd works with Dr. Nancy Lill at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Boyd is a high school student working on triple negative breast cancer research. Serving Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks
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