Indigenous cancer patients across Durham Region now have a way to access Traditional healing close to home, through a clinic run by the Central East Regional Cancer Program at Lakeridge Health — and the program is earning provincial recognition for it.
The Traditional Medicine Clinic, launched in October 2024, connects Indigenous cancer patients across the Central East Region with a Traditional Healer and Knowledge Carrier, with appointments available both in person and virtually, according to a Lakeridge Health story.
Through Traditional medicines, Ceremony, spiritual support and conversation, patients have another option to support their well-being alongside their cancer care.
One Durham resident who has benefited is Keith Hernandez, who was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer more than four years ago. Healthy and active before his diagnosis, he found himself navigating hormonal therapy, radiation, chemotherapy and countless appointments through the Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health.
"I was overwhelmed. There were so many appointments, and I started to feel down," he says in the Lakeridge Health story. "Fortunately, I had the support of my family and close friends, but I knew I also needed spiritual support."
Hernandez first found help through the Indigenous Navigator for the Central East Regional Cancer Program, which helped keep him grounded while facing the challenges of his cancer journey. But he was also looking for spiritual guidance and a connection to Traditional healing.
That led him to the Traditional Medicine Clinic, where he began meeting with a Traditional Healer.
"Meeting the Traditional Healer for the first time, I wondered whether he would be able to support me. That question was answered in that first appointment," he says. "He made me comfortable enough to share my medical challenges."
Hernandez has been receiving support from the Traditional Healer for about two years, and says the experience has become an important part of his healing journey.
"He is someone who listens calmly and gives emotional support," he says. "He provides Traditional medicines and spiritual guidance while increasing my knowledge of cultural beliefs."
Access to Traditional Healers can be difficult, particularly for Indigenous people living in urban communities. By bringing this support directly into the cancer program, the clinic is helping remove a barrier to care while giving patients greater choice in how they are supported.
The clinic's work has not gone unnoticed. It earned a 2025 Indigenous Health Award from the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario.
For Hernandez, the clinic's impact is personal. He says other Indigenous patients should know that a Traditional Healer can provide physical, mental, emotional and spiritual support.
"I feel it is necessary for Indigenous patients to have access to a Traditional Healer," he says.
His experience reflects what whole-person cancer care can look like: honouring what matters to each patient and providing different ways to feel supported throughout their journey.
