We Shared His Dream in 2017... Today, Dr Keaton Harris Is Living It

Photo Credit: Dr Keaton Harris

When we first met Keaton Harris, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. Today, Dr Keaton Harris shares that reality, his remarkable journey and why success is about helping others.

South Africa (30 June 2026) – When we last shared Keaton Harris’ story in 2017, he had just finished university and hoped to enter medical school. The incredible student, who accumulated 24 distinctions in his university career, has done it! We are so excited to reintroduce you to Dr Keaton Harris.

We recently caught up with Dr Keaton to find out what his journey to becoming a doctor looked like and where life took him along the way.

Keaton spoke openly about his dream of becoming a doctor. It wasn’t just ambition; it was a promise to himself. In 2018, that promise became reality when he was accepted into medical school at Stellenbosch University. During his interview, when asked if he had any questions, he instead left the panel with a statement: “If you give me a chance, I will be so much more than just a medical student.”

Since then, Keaton has graduated Cum Laude with an incredible 44 distinctions across two degrees, been recognised among South Africa’s brightest young leaders, co-founded an internationally recognised sustainability programme, built a social media community that inspires thousands of aspiring medical students, and become an outspoken advocate for men’s mental health.

Keaton is completing his Community Service year in Orthopaedic Surgery; his journey has become about far more than medicine. It’s a story of resilience, purpose and using every opportunity to lift others along the way.

We always knew the dream was to become a doctor, but now that it has been achieved, is it really everything he dreamed of? Dr Keaton shares how his journey has sparked so much more.

“I’ve loved every second of being a Doctor – both the ups and the downs. Naturally, I had to become comfortable with not knowing everything, especially as I was rotating through my internship. That was a difficult pill to swallow. And, imposter syndrome creeps in every now and then – but I’ve learnt to really remind myself that I am capable and that because I love what I do, I’ll excel as far as I want to take myself, despite how uncomfortable it may be at times.”

Medical school tests students in more ways than are academically measured. He learned just how far he could be stretched during that time and saw for the first time just how dependent the healthcare system is on young doctors. Many of his colleagues get their most independent work done after 8 pm, when shifts change. He says it was wild to have been part of.

Time management played a big role in his early days, balancing his practical hours alongside working full-time as a ghost-writer to make sure his expenses were covered; not only helped him survive financially, but it also became a next-level skill he uses today as a doctor.

As for his first official day as a doctor, it is seared into his memory. 120%, he jokes.

“So I started in Internal Medicine on my first day – trial by fire if you ask me! Fast-paced and immensely labour-intensive! It hit me I wasn’t a student anymore when I was prescribing medication for the patients I was seeing, and I actually had to sign it off with my own signature! But it sank in when I was called for a patient with an extremely low sugar in the ward. That was when it hit me that I now had responsibilities that weren’t of a student level!”

Dr Keaton is completing his Community Service in Orthopaedic Surgery and learning first-hand that the need for medical care is greater than the doctors or posts available to give it.

“There just aren’t enough posts and hands within the facilities to deal with the ever increasing healthcare burden within the varied healthcare ecosystems. It has come to the point that to get experience to qualify to apply for paid Medical Officer posts, people are doing voluntary work (known as supernumerary doctors), where they work as paid healthcare professionals but with no pay. All the responsibilities and everything that would usually be tied to a paid position. Emotionally, the system is draining. Physically and mentally, some of us just cannot keep up.”

It is this reality, the toll becoming a doctor takes on one’s mental health, that inspired Dr Keaton to start sharing his journey online. Alongside medicine, he has built a social media following by helping aspiring medical students and showing the realities of being a doctor.

“I realised that there was this misconception about what being a Doctor was actually like in South Africa. Nobody knew about our 24 to 26-hour calls that we did. Some even believe that we are millionaires who work a normal 08:00 to 17:00. However, this is not the case at all. I’ve had some people really just categorise a Doctor as a Doctor and nothing else, forgetting that they are human, with other hobbies, aspirations, and dreams. I wanted to show everyone that being a Doctor doesn’t mean that you need to throw away every other aspect of your life.

Your life shouldn’t revolve around Medicine; it should be the other way around.”

Another big aspect of Dr Keaton’s conversations online has surrounded men’s mental health.

“I just felt people weren’t talking about it. The only time you would hear about it would be when a healthcare worker would pass away as a result of their mental health. So, I wanted everyone to know that yes, we are human, yes, we struggle too, yes, we can also have mental health issues, and yes, men have a higher suicide risk because we are taught to suppress our feelings by society because ‘having issues’ is seen as making a man less of a man.”

Doctors are getting better at opening up, talking about the pressures placed on them and sharing their bad days.

“If I look at some of the content creators and interviews that involve healthcare workers. We are a lot more open to posting about the bad days as well. Because there is this facade placed on social media where all you see are the smiles, the vacations, and the achievements. But, there is so much more! Balance is so difficult in medicine, and it is important to create that well-being that many strive towards. But with our hours, it is difficult. That’s what I want to show – that it is possible with the right approach! But, there is still some way to go!

In Medicine, unfortunately, we are our own worst critics. When we are sick, many of us feel bad about taking a sick day because of the added pressure it places on the team. The result is that we take that much longer to heal up, and even at times get worse. Destigmatising that process and getting to the point where when we feel ill, there is no sense of embarrassment towards looking after ourselves first. And, to remove the notion that by taking these days (which we have earned) off, we are labelled as ‘weak’ or ‘lazy.’ Medicine isn’t a competition about who can get through the year with the least amount of sick days used, and then collapse in the end. However, systems have made it seem that way – and that is an element that needs to be focused on.”

As Dr Keaton shares, the more content creators in the medical field share their real-life takes, the more people are shifting their views of doctors, seeing them as humans and giving them the chance to take care of themselves.

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In our initial story about Keaton, we featured that he was raised by a single mom, and she is a big part of where he is today. When asked what mom thinks of where he is today, he beams…

“She is the proudest person on this planet. But, I think it hits her heart more because it shows that all the sacrifices that she made were worth it. She raised a man who is a fighter, who is determined, and who is willing to go above and beyond to make sure everyone gets the care they deserve. Whether we are in the store or at a family event, she will always beam when saying that I am a Doctor – and I am so glad that I could be living proof that what she sacrificed was indeed worth it.”

It takes a great deal of sacrifice to become a doctor. So we asked Keaton for some insights that may help any future doctors reading this. The question: if a young South African is reading this today, feeling that their circumstances are too difficult to overcome, what would you want them to know?

“Sometimes you need to go back to the drawing board. Circumstances seem complex because we want to solve every aspect right away in the quickest time possible. But sometimes you need to tackle different elements first.

Take a breather, go for a walk, and dedicate some time to sitting down and working through the circumstances. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Also, never be afraid or ashamed to reach out and ask for help. When I was fighting to get into Medicine I thought at that point that I am just not capable. But, I look back now and everything really does get better. All it takes is a whole lot of faith and at times being comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

We ended our conversation on the subject of success. With so much hard work, endless hours on his feet, serious mental and physical health strain, what does Dr Keaton think success looks like now, a near-decade after sharing his story?

“Success is measured by how many lives you have positively impacted. Many will list it as fame, fortune, and achievements. But a certificate you put into your cupboard will never be worth more than the time you place into someone else’s life and the impact you have on their journey. I remember more profoundly (and have a larger appreciation for) the words of encouragement, the acts of kindness when times were tough, and the coffee meetings arranged as catch-ups and check-ins, a lot more than the certificates that I earned and that momentary 30 seconds of fame walking across a stage.”

And here he is today, hard work in hand, a successful man, working to make a difference, not only for his patients, but for his colleagues, too. His motto is “never forget to try hard things”.

“That is where you learn that you are capable of so much more. Success is surrounding yourself with like-minded people who cherish you as you cherish them. Did I ever think that I would lose 50kgs, be a HYROX fanatic, run the Two Oceans Half Marathon, and impact the lives of others? Never in my wildest dreams. But, using these platforms and allowing myself to be a part of everything has allowed me to impact the lives of others both directly and indirectly. And, there is no price on that!”

You can follow Dr Keaton along his journey via Instagram or TikTok.