Legacy of Hope Foundation Congratulates Dr. Cook on Receiving the National Indspire Award for Education and Achievement

(Ottawa, ON) March 25, 2019 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation congratulates Dr. Marlyn Cook on her National Indspire Award (Health 2019) for her 30 years of service as a family physician on reserve lands. Not only has Dr. Cook long-served her community but she was the first ever Cree woman to graduate from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine as a Doctor. We are proud that Marlyn has served on the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2005 and continues to be an active Member.

Originally from Misipawistik Cree Nation, in Manitoba, Marlyn began her career in healthcare as a nurse. After witnessing the racism Indigenous Peoples suffered in the healthcare system, Marlyn decided that she would become a Doctor so that she could advocate for Indigenous Peoples from within.

Over the years, Dr. Cook’s began to include Indigenous ceremony which she incorporated into her Western practice in order to re-instill a sense of pride, identity, and self-esteem. Dr. Cook has now returned to her hometown as a family physician in the Ongomiizwin Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing within the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Health Sciences and she continues to look for ways to incorporate traditional healing into Manitoba’s healthcare system.

“At the Legacy of Hope Foundation, we strive to tell Canada’s true history and the negative impacts that the Residential School System continues to have on Indigenous Peoples. It is from this understanding that we applaud the work of Dr. Marlyn Cook and her ground-breaking decision to integrate Indigenous ceremony into her practice and for her tireless efforts in advocating to eradicate racism from Canada’s healthcare system,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel for the organization. She continued, “We are very proud to have such an accomplished Indigenous woman as part of our Board.”

The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is a national Indigenous charitable organization whose purposes are to educate, raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of Residential Schools, including the Sixties Scoop and the intergenerational harms caused to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, and to support the ongoing healing process of Survivors and their families. Fulfilling this mandate contributes towards Reconciliation among generations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

Media Contact Information:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD., Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone: 613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca