Life-saving cancer medication in Trinidad and Tobago can cost close to $40,000 a month, a reality that cancer survivor Nicole Dyer-Griffith has described as “untenable” and one that leaves many patients with little choice but to go without treatment.
Dyer-Griffith made the disclosure on Saturday during the soft launch of the Healing Hub Patient Navigation and Advocacy Centre at her home in Moka, Maraval, where she spoke candidly about the financial, emotional and psychological toll of managing cancer.
“I picked up the phone and I asked a big Pharma company what was the cost of the drugs for me to take,” she said. “And when they told me the cost of these drugs, that was the one time I felt defeated.”
She revealed that the monthly cost of therapy following multiple rounds of treatment was beyond the reach of most families. “How is somebody able to access $40,000 a month to purchase medication that keeps you alive?” she asked. “How is that possible?”
Dyer-Griffith said she was told bluntly that many patients simply cannot afford the drugs they need. “Many can’t and many don’t,” she said. “And it’s too much for the government to subsidise. So sometimes people just die.”
The former senator and social advocate, who was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and later with stage four brain cancer, said the experience laid bare a systemic failure in patient support and advocacy. While she credited her survival to a strong personal network and medical team, she acknowledged that not everyone has access to the same resources.
“I manage it because I have a group of angels around me,” she said, explaining that her support system helped her navigate treatment, sourcing medication and emotional care. “We get it done every single month.”
That reality, she said, was the driving force behind the creation of the Healing Hub, which began as a tightly moderated WhatsApp support group and has since grown into a broader advocacy initiative with about 160 active members.
“So many people were reaching out,” she said. “It just became overwhelming—thousands of messages across a number of platforms—people wanting to talk, wanting information, wanting support.”
The Hub, she explained, was created to provide patients with credible, science-based information while also offering emotional support from people with lived experience. “The Healing Hub was developed and I think has filled that gap quite successfully,” she said.
Dyer-Griffith stressed that the Hub is not designed to replace medical professionals, but to empower patients to better understand their diagnosis and treatment options. “That is what healthcare is about,” she said. “Providing information, allowing people to ask questions and challenge interpretations.”
She described the period following a cancer diagnosis as an “emotional vortex”, marked by fear, confusion and an overload of often conflicting advice. “If you do not protect your mentals, then that emotional vortex will be very difficult to climb out of,” she said.
The proposed Healing Hub Patient Navigation and Advocacy Centre aims to formalise that support by offering trained patient navigators who can help individuals and families move through the healthcare system, understand treatment pathways and access support services.
Dyer-Griffith said she hopes to establish a physical centre by 2026 at a cost of about $2 million. The facility, she said, would be free of charge to patients and their families.
“It has to be free of charge for persons in Trinidad and Tobago,” she stressed.
She added that similar patient advocacy models already exist internationally and could be adapted locally. “If this can be done elsewhere, why can’t we do it at home?” she asked rhetorically.
Beyond individual patient care, Dyer-Griffith placed the initiative within a wider public health context, noting that Trinidad and Tobago’s leading causes of death remain diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
“It stands to reason that we invest more in looking at the management and advocacy of these top three,” she said, pointing out that early intervention and patient support could reduce long-term healthcare costs and improve life expectancy.
During her remarks, she also called on pharmaceutical companies to play a greater role in supporting patients, particularly given the high cost of medication. “Where is your sense of corporate social responsibility?” she asked.
She welcomed recent statements by the Government indicating it would examine the cost of medication and price gouging, describing that move as “a step in the right direction”, but said more tangible action was needed.
“We need to do more,” she said. “We need to continue to advocate more.”
The Healing Hub, she added, is ultimately about dignity and humanity in healthcare. “If you are not placed on this earth to positively impact the lives of people, then what’s the point?” she said. “That is one of the reasons for my purpose.”
The full public launch of the Healing Hub Patient Navigation and Advocacy Centre is expected next year.