Makenna

I had the honor and privilege of having Christopher Boyd as a best friend for 18 years. Christopher and I met very early on in life as chubby, little one-year-olds. As my first and longest friend, Christopher taught me what friendship is. He taught me that friendship is showing up for one another regardless of the circumstances. Whenever I had car troubles, Christopher was always one of the first to reach out and ask the important questions. Despite his busy schedule as a full-time student and employee, he took the time to ensure that I was safe and taken care of. He also taught me that friendship is protecting each other. At one of our annual Ocean City beach trips, Christopher and I collided into each other hard while boogie boarding. I remember the panicked look on his face as I surfaced from the wave. Although we both definitely felt the impact of our heads smashing together, his immediate concern was finding me. Christopher taught me that friendship is playfully teasing each other (sometimes relentlessly). As two competitive kids that were raised like siblings, Christopher and I would always bicker about who was faster, stronger, taller, smarter and basically any other adjective you can think of.

Through these silly interactions, we pushed each other to be better. I will carry the fundamentals of friendship that I learned from Christopher with me for the rest of my life. Although Christopher was three months younger (and I never let him forget it), I often found myself looking up to him. Although he is no longer with us physically, Christopher’s kindness, selflessness and diligence continue to live on and positively change the lives of countless people through this foundation. CXB, we love you, we miss you and we will never let you be forgotten.

Kaylee

Christopher has been in my life ever since I was born. So many of my earliest memories involve him, like riding our bikes to the nearest playground, making homemade “scary” movies, and creating our very own Wipeout course in my backyard. I was lucky enough to go on many adventures with Christopher throughout my life. From sledding in the woods with my neighbors, to having a food fight in the children’s play kitchen at Port Discovery Children's Museum, Christopher made the jokes funnier, the smiles bigger, and the time more worthwhile. One of my fondest memories of him was when my sister and I went to support him in his annual bullfrog race. I just remember so much mud and frogs, and there he was in the middle of it all, having the time of his life. Even when life seemed so messy, Christopher’s relentless joy was contagious. His beautiful life, contagious joy, and his deep love for frogs continues on through this project. We love you, Christopher.

Andrea

I met christopher when he had just turned a year old and he was just starting to walk. I was actually drawn to his clumsiness . he was constantly falling and banging into things, but with his adorable, baby smile, and chubby cheeks I thought he was adorable. His mother Melissa and I started talking because my daughter was only three months older. We began hanging out every week and before I knew it, we were hanging out almost every day. The following year I had another daughter and the year after that Melissa had another son. We were always together. The zoo,the aquarium, the park and the beach were always happening. My house, her house, the beach house we made so many memories together with all of our children. They became like siblings squabbling over who was being annoying to who won more games. The years flew by and the kids grow up but they always stayed close and I was always so glad the Boyd’s were my kids first friends. When Melissa called on Christmas Eve about the devastating news about Christopher, my world stopped for a minute.

All of the memories flashed back from the chubby cheek, baby to the tall, strong young man he had turned into. Why would this happens to such a kind, caring, friendly and helpful kid. When I heard he was on his way to help a friend that didn’t surprise me. He truly was an awesome person. My family and I struggled and I still struggle when I think of the pain of my friend. While on the phone one day we came up with the idea of doing something with frogs to carry on his name. One of my girls came up with the name and the other one created the website. I believe them getting involved in this helped them heal a little because it was something positive that they could do to channel the hurt. We sat at my table and made the very first batch of Christopher’s Lilypad Legacy Frogs while telling funny stories and sharing memories of Christopher. The lily pads went farther than I ever thought they would go. And now that there is a foundation I can’t wait to see all the good deeds that happen in Christopher’s name. Although he would be absolutely mortified at all the attention he is getting I’m sure he is very proud of all the good deeds that will be done in his name. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.