Cancer Support Beyond Medicine Takes Shape With Healing Hub
Support beyond medicine is crucial and can often be a missing link in cancer care. That’s the view of oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgeon and breast surgical oncologist Dr. Lyronne Olivier.
Speaking at the soft launch of the Healing Hub, a new support-space WhatsApp community for people navigating cancer in Trinidad and Tobago, he highlighted the importance of lived experience and emotional support in helping patients cope through initiatives like the Healing Hub, which was started by cancer survivor, former senator and former Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago, Nicole Dyer-Griffith.
« From a physician’s point of view, we have a knowledge of everything, but we don’t have the personal experience, and I think this hub offers that. I have learnt a lot. You know, many things I would say by word of mouth, but actually being a patient and going through it, or being a caregiver or being diagnosed, I think that perspective is something that I learnt, and it gives me more empathy to deal with my patients. Many times I will resist the urge of giving a comment because I don’t want it to seem very structured and medical. I think it should be more of a support group. »
Dr. Olivier says the Healing Hub provides a space where patients can share experiences freely, while doctors gain insight into challenges that cannot be fully understood in a clinical setting.
That support has proven invaluable for cancer patient Jenelle Carnovan, who shared her journey following a recent stage three breast cancer diagnosis.
« I’m a 48-year-old mom recently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. I remember that day so clearly. I was diagnosed on the 28th of August at 1:20pm. When I got the results on that day, I remember feeling so angry, and I was upset, and I cried because I thought it was so unfair. I’m going to cry because I’ve had so many other things that I had to deal with. I am a caregiver, I give so much, but then what I have learnt so far through this journey is that God is saying, ‘Jenelle, it’s time to rest.' »
Carnovan says joining the Healing Hub came at a critical time, offering reassurance, encouragement and a sense of belonging during treatment.
« I would not have been able to go through this on my own. I got into this Healing Hub just in the nick of time before the group was closed off, and I’m so happy. Normally I’m not on Facebook at two o’clock in the morning and that’s when I saw Nicole’s post, and I clicked on it immediately, and the very next day is when the group was closed off, so I know I got in here at the right time and for a reason. »
Advocates say initiatives like the Healing Hub highlight the growing need for holistic cancer care in Trinidad and Tobago, where emotional and peer support stand alongside medical treatment on the road to recovery.
The Healing Hub WhatsApp community was launched by Mrs. Dyer-Griffith in September 2025. Her vision for the Healing Hub is to establish a physical centre in 2026.
