Dr Racquel Gordon-Adlam making history in medicine

She was a little girl from a small community with dreams that many might consider far beyond her reach. However, Dr Racquel Gordon- Adlam was determined to defy all the odds to become Jamaica’s first female interventional cardiologist in June 2019, at age 37.

Now, she has the amazing ability to open blood vessels and prevent a possible heart attack. Her success is driven by the belief that if one can think it, they can achieve it.

“There is no dream too big. I know that whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve if you are dedicated. Yes, money and resources will always be an issue, but somehow it will always work out if you really put your mind to it,” said Gordon-Adlam.

The doctor, who currently works at The University Hospital of the West Indies, told THE STAR that she is grateful to be able to pave the way for other women in the field, and says that even now it all feels surreal. She said although her job can be hard and stressful at times, she finds great joy in it because she is able to help others.

Gordon-Adlam, who is from Toms River, a rural community in St Andrew, said that she is a proud “country girl” and believes that no matter where you’re from, giving up should not be an option.

“Don’t give up; if you feel like giving up, push a little harder. Try not to focus on your failures, look at the positives. Yes, disappointments will come, but even if disappointments do come, you can turn that disappointment into triumph if you stay focused,” said Gordon-Adlam. She also said her journey was not smooth, but she was determined to achieve success.

“There were several times I felt like this was too hard. I even questioned if I could do it. The workload was always challenging, but I never felt like giving up. It was simply not an option, so I pushed through,” said Dr Gordon-Adlam.

She said that she was not only motivated by her mother, who is a surgical nurse, but by her father’s passing when she was only four years old. He died post-surgery. Gordon-Adlam spent 12 years to become an interventional cardiologist. She said although she didn’t have the funds, she loved cardiology and was determined to make her dreams a reality.

“I had an internal drive to just become something that I wanted to be. I knew it would be hard but I was willing to put in the work,” said Gordon-Adlam. Being raised by a single mother, she became driven to provide for her family and make her mother proud.

“I really wanted to make mommy proud. Even though we never had it, I do not consider myself to be poor, because I never went to bed hungry. She worked really hard to provide for us. So I wanted to do better. I wanted to be able to provide for my family, I just wanted to be able to take care of mommy, so I had to excel,” said Gordon-Adlam.