GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Health City Cayman Islands has launched its inaugural Cancer Survivors Wellness Retreat, opening a new front in regional post-treatment care with a full-day program built around survivorship education, clinical guidance, and peer support.
The retreat was delivered through Health City Cares, the hospital’s corporate social responsibility arm, and hosted at VIDA Cayman Islands in West Bay. The oceanfront setting framed a program designed to address what survivors face after active treatment ends, a stage of Caribbean health care that is often under-resourced.
Dana-Farber Expert Anchors Survivorship Program
Abigail Ciampa, a nurse practitioner with the Adult Survivorship Program Care Team at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, headlined the retreat with a session titled “Living Well Beyond a Cancer Diagnosis: Understanding Survivorship.” The presentation was structured for survivors and caregivers, addressing the long arc of recovery rather than the acute phase of treatment.
Ciampa also delivered a clinically focused version of the material the previous evening during a continuing medical education session for Health City nurses, extending the program’s impact into the hospital’s frontline workforce.
Dr. Vineetha Binoy, Senior Medical Oncology Specialist at Health City Cayman Islands, framed the initiative as a commitment to long-term patient accompaniment. “Cancer treatment or a diagnosis is a journey, and you need people who walk along with you even well after you finish your treatment,” she said. “That’s what we are aspiring to provide.”
Survivors and Partners Shape the Day
Programming combined gentle movement, mindfulness sessions, survivorship education, nourishing meals, a sound bath, and reflective stations curated for participants at different stages of recovery. The Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation and Cancer Society members joined Health City clinicians on site, broadening the support network around attendees.
Brooklyn Montgomery, a stage-two breast cancer survivor who attended the retreat, credited the hospital with her recovery. “I’m here after healing from stage two breast cancer,” she said. “Health City was my go-to. All the doctors were amazing, so I figured I should follow suit and come see what they’ve got to offer here.”
Rebekah Brooks, Head of Marketing and Sales at Health City, said the retreat was designed to make survivors feel anchored in a wider community of care. “There’s not only Health City — we’ve had the Breast Cancer Foundation here today, the Cancer Society members have been here today, our nurses. We’re all here for our patients.”
A Growing Demographic Need
Organizers pointed to demographic data underscoring the urgency of structured survivorship programming. More than 75 percent of cancer survivors in the United States are over age 60, and more than half are over age 70, a profile that mirrors the aging patient base served by tertiary care providers across the Caribbean.
Health City Cayman Islands confirmed that additional survivor-focused wellness events are planned, signaling the retreat as the first installment of a sustained survivorship track rather than a one-time engagement.
