If you’ve ever tried to hike up or wander down Braeside, you’ve probably passed Dr. David Graham — maybe out walking his two Huskies, Koda and Aspen, or chatting with a neighbor about golf, travel plans, or the latest movie In Biltmore Park Town Square. But behind that easy smile is one of Asheville’s most respected pediatric surgeons, a man whose steady hands and compassionate heart have helped heal thousands of children across Western North Carolina.

Dr. Graham, a longtime Biltmore Park resident of 25 years, is part of the specialized pediatric surgical team that provides emergency and elective care for children in a kid-friendly environment. “Every day is different,” he says. “In the morning, I might be operating on a two-pound baby from the NICU, and by the afternoon, I could be taking out the appendix of a high school football player.”

Born with a natural curiosity for how things work, Graham says his early fascination with the sciences set him on the path to medicine. “Education was always important in our house,” he recalls. “We had a lot of teachers in our family. I was heavily influenced by my role models and my love for the hard sciences — physics and biology. I knew I wanted to be a physician.”

That passion eventually led him to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, followed by a prestigious fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital through the University of Washington. It was during those formative years that Graham discovered his calling. “When I rotated on the service of Dr. Andy Pulito, a pediatric surgeon, something just clicked,” he says. “I realized this is what makes me tick. I love kids and babies. They’re resilient, and they heal in ways that continue to amaze me.”

As a Pediatric General Surgeon at Mission Hospital, Dr. Graham’s work covers an astonishing range. From congenital newborn abnormalities and hernias to tumors, cancers, and appendicitis, he and his team perform between 700 and 800 surgeries each year — most on children under the age of ten. “What makes pediatric surgery special is the variety,” he explains. “You’re not confined to one part of the body. One day you’re operating in the chest, another in the abdomen. It’s challenging, but that’s what keeps it interesting.”

That challenge is balanced by deep meaning. Dr. Graham says one of the greatest joys of his job is seeing the long-term outcomes of his patients. “I’ll be at Ingles or a high school baseball game, and I will recognize someone I operated on 10 or 15 years ago,” he says. “I remember one young man who caught my eye at a North Buncombe baseball game. He was pitching. During the national anthem, he looked over at me and gave me a little wave. His mother later came up to me and said I took her son’s appendix out. She thanked me.

For Dr. Graham, family is the heartbeat of everything he does. He and his wife, Donna, a cardiac nurse raised their four children right here in Asheville. Their daughter Taylor, 31, followed in their medical footsteps and now works as a critical care nurse at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. She is a fitness fiend! Their son Aaron, 28, works for Boys Arnold Wealth Management in South Asheville and is married and living in Hendersonville, while Kellen works for Wells Fargo in Charleston, and Andrew is pursuing his MBA at Clemson University.

“When my wife and I go on trips, we’re usually taking the kids,” he says. “If I’m golfing, it’s with my sons. We love spending time together as a family.”

That love of family has always extended into the community. When his boys were younger, Dr. Graham was an assistant baseball coach and could often be found cheering at local games. His children attended Estes Elementary, Koontz Intermediate, and Valley Springs, while his daughter went to T.C. Roberson and his sons to Christ School. “Asheville is small enough that you really feel connected,” he says. “You see your patients at the grocery store or at a game.”

Outside of the operating room, Dr. Graham makes time to stay active and enjoy the simple things. He works out at the YMCA, golfs, and enjoys catching a movie at Biltmore Park Town Square with friends. His wife Donna is a regular on her Peloton bike, and together they’re known for their love of Huskies — a family tradition started by their daughter. “We’re kind of known in Biltmore Park for our dogs,” he laughs. “I don’t even get to name them, that’s my wife and daughter’s territory.”

On October 31, Dr. Graham celebrated his 61st birthday — a fitting date for someone who’s spent a career bringing comfort to families during some of their scariest moments. “When you have a sick child, it’s hard,” he says. “Parents are under enormous stress. Communication and empathy are everything. It’s about helping families through tough stuff. The small gestures mean the most. Getting a Christmas card from a patient I operated on 15 years ago… that’s what makes it all meaningful.”

After 26 years as a surgeon, Dr. Graham’s passion hasn’t dimmed a bit. Whether he’s in the operating room at Mission Hospital, at the Reuter Children’s Clinic or chatting with a neighbor on Braeside, it’s clear that caring for others, especially kids, is what drives him.

“I love what I do,” he says simply. “And I love where I do it. Asheville’s home. The people, the families, it’s all connected here. I feel lucky every day.”