Dr. Sandra Knight—recently re-married “Swaby” – is no “run of the mill” doctor. As a matter of fact, it would be shortsighted to even attempt to put her in a specific category.
I sat down to a virtual chat with Dr. Swaby, a dynamic, highly motivated, very intuitive, and compassionate woman. A free-spirited individual, Dr. Swaby leaves an indelible impression on the world of what owning one’s self looks like.
Our cameras came on, and there she was. Ready to jump in, she welcomed our conversation with exuberance.
Dr. Sandra Swaby, 48, was born Sandra Allen, in Dunsinane District, Manchester, Jamaica. The third female child of five girls, though one of whom passed away 18 years prior after being diagnosed with leukemia. Her parents were the Reverends Lloyd Allen and Lois Allen. As a child, she lived in what she describes as a bubble, a world of her own. Dr. Swaby always wanted to become a doctor and would do experiments on insects—roaches, lizards, etc. – to prepare for her dream. She would cut them open to see how they work, much to the dismay of her mother, who had an aversion to the critters. In her words, “I would come straight into the house and start cutting them open, and my mother would end up in a fright.”
Dr. Swaby started her high school years at Manchester High School but found herself unsettled without a connection to the school. She did not believe Manchester High mirrored the aspirations she had for her life. She relayed this to her mother, who was open to hearing what young Sandra had to say. She was transferred to Knox College, Sandra’s choice although it was far from where she lived. When she got to Knox, Sandra knew she had found her home. “I loved, loved Knox” she shared. She flourished while at Knox and would later hold various positions of responsibility and influence such as Student Council President, President of 4H Club, Ranger, Head girl, and more. “The principal at the time was Mrs. Barbara Jones, and we became close. She was a mentor to me. It was a lot of work and a lot of what I call excitement, but I enjoyed my time there. I left Knox with 11 CXC subjects, all A’s and B’s”.
In her words:
After Knox, I was tired, and I decided to take a year off. I went to South America at 15 years old. Initially, my parents said no. I then wrote them a letter outlining my reasons for going. I made them tea, then sat them down and I read my letter. I shared that it was time for me to put into practice some of what they taught me over the years.
At this point, I had to interject, stating how self-assured and aware she was to have been able to choose to go to Knox over Manchester High School and then make her claim to support that choice 34 years ago. Then, she chose to leave her family and venture to South America at 15 years old. I needed to know where her self-assuredness came from? After all, the world was way different then from what we know it to be today.
Dr. Swaby: You know that is a good question. I love my parents dearly; they have always listened. And I have always worked hard for their trust because, to be honest with you, I did not like to get a beating. So, I am always telling myself to stay on the narrow path.
When mom and I had a discussion about changing schools, I realised how open she was and how readily she wanted me to have my own dream while having her own dream for me as well, I said to myself—okay, I’m on my way. My father, on the other hand, is very pragmatic, he listens then asks questions. I believe my interest in South America was piqued when I hosted a foreign student from Brazil at Knox. And so, taking the year off, I said, now is the time. I wanted to take a break from school; I wanted to explore and learn something different after studying so hard.
TBWM: You seem to have been very in the know and very responsible at that time. Would you say that you got that from your parents? Where did the maturity come from?
Dr. Swaby: I can only say it is how I was born and how God created me, and I try to manifest the best version of how God created me and go with the flow. I was always very, very responsible. Taking care of my little sisters, taking care of things at school. My husband and I were in Portland, recently celebrating his birthday and I heard someone say, “Ally? Oh, my goodness, you used to take care of me when I was a little girl. And buy me patty, make sure they (kids at school) didn’t bother me“. I then realized it was one of the first formers that I used to take care of. I would huddle them after school to make sure they got on the bus….it was such a moment. I love children; I’ve always loved children, and my plan was to have five. Just like my mom, birth them all naturally and push them all through my vagina, *laughter* that was my dream. I did not want a C-Section. I wanted to go natural. But it was not to be, and I have accepted that. I am who God created me to be.
TBWM: And that is a perfect answer because I believe that when we think about gifts, it’s usually the traditional things like singing, dancing, etc. We do not think being responsible and able to take care of others is a gift. And they are gifts because we do not all have the capacity—naturally֫—to be giving and compassionate. The perfect answer that allows us to stop thinking traditionally and open our minds to what we are truly great at and build on it.
Dr. Swaby: You know something Jackie, I think every human being can take care of others. Life is not as simple as we would like it to be. Who we are now is sometimes determined by a past that creates fears, anxieties, and insecurities in us. And so, all of that comes together and then prevents us or disables us a little bit from being available to others. So now you hear very often that people are working on themselves. So, when we work on removing some of these fears, so to speak, we allow ourselves to love unfetteredly—in its fullness. We can also receive love in its fullness. I went to an energy healer quite recently, and she told me, “we’re going to work on accepting love”. Well, for a minute, I thought I was pretty much in love with love, and so I’m like, Oh, my God, my love chakra is closed. So, I have been working on accepting love. My husband always asks why I can’t just receive a compliment? It is a journey. I am working on fully opening my love chakra. We all can give and receive love, and once we work on removing the fears and anxieties, it gets easier.
TBWM: Yes, it does. It does, indeed. All right. So, let us talk about what you do. You said initially, you wanted to be a Doctor from three years old. In what area of medicine did you start initially? Tell us about that.
Dr. Swaby: So, yes, at three years old, I wanted to be a doctor, but at about five or six, I decided I wanted to do cardiology. The reason was because of my grandfather, whom I adored to death. At that age, if you have an adult in your life who gave you sweet treats, you would adore them, right? I would visit him, and he would walk down this long dirt road to meet me. And one day, I just waited, waited, and waited, and he did not come out. My mother and father were not at home, and so when they finally came, and I asked about him, they said he was in the hospital. And I said, Okay, so let’s go see him. At the time I was too small and I could not visit him. He died two days later from a heart attack. So immediately, I knew that was the doctor I wanted to be. A heart doctor who would save as well as cure hearts. I studied in Cuba, and then I went on to study Public Health at Emory University. I came back to Jamaica and entered the public health system. Also, while in University, I had my own issues with my skin—acne or eczema and saggy boobs. I was also seeing my daughter’s father at the time and he once commented that my boobs were saggy. And I was like, oh my god, I need less saggy boobs.
I spent my entire 20s, trying to look better and feel better, and I realized I was not the only one feeling the way I was. My sisters also felt the same as did the girls who my parents fostered over the years. We all had insecurities about our bodies. Having fallen out of love with the public health system, I began to seriously think about my life’s direction and where I need to go with my life. My goal at the time was to do something I was passionate about. I recalled my militant stance about serving people while in the public health sector, which came with frustration, and why I did what I did was getting lost. There was an incident with a baby who got raped, which was the final straw for me. The part I played as a doctor in the health system was becoming robotic and far removed from reality. There were instances…
Follow Our Conversations at
