St. Jude nurse’s heart condition became her motivation to help others

For Alexandra Boyd, CRA-RN, it was going to take more than a heart defect to keep her from achieving her goals. Born with aortic valve stenosis, she spent much of her childhood in doctors’ offices, having to navigate life at a slower pace than her peers. But she viewed her condition as motivation. The clinicians who cared for her became her heroes, and by the age of 4, she decided she wanted to be a nurse.

As she grew older, Boyd pursued that dream with determination. She earned early acceptance into a nursing program, balancing two jobs and demanding coursework even as her heart condition began to worsen. Graduating from nursing school felt like a victory. 

After two years in adult nursing, she knew exactly where she wanted her journey to lead next: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Inspired by her health journey and the loss of her grandfather to acute myeloid leukemia, she felt called to support children whose lives were shaped by serious illness. She began her St. Jude career in the outpatient infusion center, where her days were filled with chemotherapy infusions, crafts, playdough and laughter.

While she poured her energy into caring for patients, her own health was quietly worsening. Additional testing revealed a rare unicuspid aortic valve and a weakened ascending aorta. Open-heart surgery, long postponed, could no longer be avoided. In June 2021, she underwent the operation and received a repaired aorta and a new valve, an experience she describes as a second chance at life.

Boyd returned to work and embraced a new chapter in her career at St. Jude. Today, she serves as a Clinical Research Associate-Registered Nurse (CRA-RN) II in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, supporting phase 1 CAR T clinical trials. Her role requires scientific precision and compassion as she monitors patients, upholds regulatory standards and ensures the integrity of data on treatments that may one day change the future of pediatric cancer care. 

Eager to deepen her understanding of research methods, Boyd enrolled in the Clinical Investigations Master’s Program at the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, becoming a first-generation graduate student. 

Throughout her journey, Boyd has leaned on the steady support of her family. Her mother, whom she calls the foundation of her resilience, later joined her at St. Jude as a Senior CRA in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy. She also found joy with her husband, who has been a constant source of encouragement and stability for her. 

Having lived on both sides of the stethoscope, Boyd carries a powerful perspective. Every day, she uses that perspective to care for families facing their own challenges, determined to show them, just as she has shown herself, that strength can come from the most unexpected places.