At 14, she fought bravely, and overcame a battle with cancer. A decade later, she’s in her final year of studies to become just like the doctors who helped save her life.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (23 June 2026) – Joy Schoor came home from a Kruger National Park family holiday and fell ill. It was 2016, and she was only fourteen years old.
It started with a fever and progressed into a serious diagnosis quickly. After a series of tests and hospital visits in January 2016, doctors confirmed that she was battling acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.
She left school for a year, underwent chemotherapy, and received a bone marrow transplant using stem cells donated by her younger brother, Joel.
“At 14 years old I was confronted with the possibility of death,” she says, as per Stellenbosch University. “But to me cancer was never a death sentence.”
As told by the Netcare Kuils River Hospital, Joy became the first patient to receive a lifesaving bone marrow transplant at the hospital. In 2024, she was invited back as a guest of honour to cut the ribbon officially declaring an expanded comprehensive bone marrow transplant unit, alongside the haematologists who treated her then.
Nearly a decade on, Schoor is a final-year MBChB student at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. She had wanted to become a doctor long before her diagnosis. Her battle with leukemia deepened the dream to one day be able to save lives.
“My cancer journey strengthened my desire to study medicine because I wanted to pay forward the care I received,” she says.
The healthcare professionals who showed up for her with warmth and humanity during her most frightening moments left a lasting impression.
“There is something so powerful about being able to tell a patient ‘I understand’ and genuinely mean it.”
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Receiving the Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation Chancellor’s Bursary, which supports students from the so-called ‘missing middle,’ changed everything.
“Receiving the bursary means so much more than financial support,” she says. “It brought relief to my family during a time when the pressure of studying medicine felt overwhelming.” she said, adding: “It meant that my dreams could still become a reality despite the challenges I face.”
When the academic load felt heaviest, she held onto the strength she had gained from her battle with illness.
“If I could survive cancer, I could survive the difficult seasons in university too.”
In 2025, Schoor competed at the World Transplant Games in Germany. She took part in swimming events alongside athletes from across the globe who had also faced life-threatening illness and organ transplants.
“It honestly did not feel like a competition,” she says. “It felt like being surrounded by people who understood parts of your journey without you having to explain it.”
As she nears the finish line of her medical degree, her vision for the kind of doctor she wants to become is inspiring.
“I want to be the kind of doctor who not only treats illness, but who also gives patients hope,” she says.
Ten years ago she was a teenager fighting for her life. Soon, she’ll be on the other side of that ward, the one doing the saving.
“A journey far from easy, but totally worth it,” she smiles.
This story was shared by Stellenbosch University as part of its #TogetherWeGrow campaign that, this Youth Month, celebrates students who are creating opportunities, building communities, and supporting others while also spotlighting the support structures at SU that help students grow, connect, and make a meaningful impact.
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