{"id":1077120,"date":"2026-07-08T22:10:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T22:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1077120\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T22:10:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T22:10:36","slug":"london-grad-becomes-uks-first-deaf-blind-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1077120\/","title":{"rendered":"London Grad Becomes UK\u2019s First Deaf-Blind Doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON \u2014 One day after receiving a master\u2019s degree in creative writing from Northeastern University London, Alexandra Adams was on the sofa of \u201cThis Morning<\/a>,\u201d one of Britain\u2019s most popular daytime shows.<\/p>\n

Adams shared photos and video of the moment she walked the stage at Northeastern London\u2019s graduation ceremony on Tuesday and received booming applause. In addition to the master\u2019s degree, she also received a medical degree that has taken more than 10 years to earn. It was the culmination of more than a rollercoaster decade of academic achievement and personal setbacks, which was \u201csurreal\u201d and \u201cabsolutely mad,\u201d she told the hosts.<\/p>\n

But receiving two degrees was just the start of a busy week for Adams, who will follow her talk show appearance by starting work next week as Britain\u2019s first deaf-blind doctor.<\/p>\n

Adams celebrated both of these achievements at the university, where she said she had finally found a group of tutors and students who \u201cfeel like family,\u201d she told Northeastern Global News during the sunny ceremony at Barbican Centre<\/a>. \u201cTo be able to come to Northeastern, which is an amazing place and an amazing community, to celebrate not just one but two degrees, I have no words. As a writer, I have no words.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the 32-year-old from Kent, just outside London, the journey so far has included an athletic career and medical heartbreak, achieving an unprecedented feat while facing disability discrimination. If this life story has the feeling of a great work of literature, this is exactly the idea that led Adams to find her literary voice at Northeastern.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A story to tell<\/p>\n

Nine years into training as a doctor in Wales, Adams arrived at Northeastern University London with a story to tell, one that began with being registered deaf and blind at birth. Books and art were her first loves, she said, but she soon set out to become an athlete in her teens, when the opportunity arose to train as a swimmer for Great Britain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having trained with the ambition to reach the London 2012 Paralympics, she found her path was blocked when she endured multiple hospitalizations and surgeries that put an end to her competitive sports career. These periods of ill-health meant missing out on taking her A-Level qualifications, exams taken by UK students typically during the final two years of high school required in order to enrol at an institution of higher learning. But \u201cit was whilst I was in the hospital bed that I was inspired to look into medicine as a career,\u201d she said, and follow in the footsteps of the workers of the British National Health Service (NHS) who treated her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Left:07\/07\/26 \u2013 LONDON, UK. \u2013 Scenes during the London Graduation on July 7, 2026. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University<\/p>\n

\"A07\/07\/26 \u2013 LONDON, UK. \u2013 Scenes during the London Graduation on July 7, 2026. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University<\/p>\n

\"Alexandra,07\/07\/26 \u2013 LONDON, UK. \u2013 Scenes during the London Graduation on July 7, 2026. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University
\nAlexandra Adams celebrated her dual acheivements at the ceremony for Northeastern London among faculty and students who \u201cfeel like family,\u201d she said. Photos by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University<\/p>\n

At medical school, Adams has used social media to document the highs and lows of studying while deaf-blind and also suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects connective tissue. One TikTok video<\/a>, explaining how her Bluetooth stethoscope connects to her hearing aids and allows her to take a patient\u2019s heartbeat, has amassed 2.9 million views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Adams has endured discrimination from early life, she said, including during her medical education, which forced her to take a break when she was mere months from qualifying as a doctor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, I genuinely thought it was the end of the road\u201d for her dream of becoming a doctor, she said, forcing her to start looking for other work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my job search, I randomly came across an advert for a master\u2019s in creative writing at Northeastern London, and I will admit I\u2019d never heard of a university before,\u201d Adams explained. \u201cI did a bit of research and \u2013 oh my gosh \u2013 it was honestly the best decision I\u2019ve made. Sometimes I think you\u2019ve got to be spontaneous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

On arrival at Northeastern, Adams had already begun work on a memoir that would tell her journey to becoming the country\u2019s first deaf-blind doctor and her talent was immediately apparent, said Claire Griffiths, the lead of the master\u2019s degree contemporary creative writing program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the moment Alexandra applied we were struck by the power of her writing, but we were also aware that she had already faced huge challenges in her educational journey, including discrimination,\u201d Griffiths said. \u201cSo we felt a real sense of responsibility to offer a different experience, in which she could feel comfortable, supported and encouraged by a community of fellow writers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being in \u201ca slightly smaller university\u201d at Northeastern\u2019s Devon House helped her feel much more supported, said Adams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was so friendly. They treat you like everyone else,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re on the same level and you\u2019re constantly bouncing off each other with some really exciting ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she finished her creative writing course in 2025, the opportunity arose to also finish up her medical studies at Northeastern, setting the stage for this week\u2019s double-degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m starting work as a doctor next week \u2013 so a bit terrifying but so exciting and I\u2019m just so happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Adams, the future includes working to heal others alongside a plan to tell the story of how she made it.<\/p>\n