At 14 years old, Joy Schoor was forced to confront something most teenagers cannot begin to imagine: the possibility of dying before her life had truly begun. 

In January 2016, after returning from a family holiday to the Kruger National Park, she suddenly became ill with a fever. What initially appeared to be an infection soon became something far more serious. After numerous tests and hospital visits, Schoor was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. 

Her life changed almost overnight. She left school for a year to undergo chemotherapy and eventually a bone marrow transplant. Her younger brother, Joel, became her stem cell donor. “At 14 years old I was confronted with the possibility of death,” she says. “But to me cancer was never a death sentence.” 

Paying it forward 

Today, nearly a decade later, Schoor is a final-year MBChB student at SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, studying towards the very profession that once helped save her life. The journey between those two moments has been shaped by faith, resilience and a determination to turn suffering into purpose. “I truly believe God carried me,” she says quietly.  

Schoor grew up in what she describes as a loving home where faith, perseverance and compassion formed the foundation of family life. Her parents worked hard to provide for her and her younger brother, even during difficult periods. “We did not always have everything, but I was surrounded by my family, friends and church community.” 

Long before her diagnosis, she already dreamed of becoming a doctor. Cancer did not create that dream – it deepened it. “My cancer journey strengthened my desire to study medicine because I wanted to pay forward the care I received,” she says. 

During her treatment, she experienced firsthand what it means to depend entirely on the compassion of healthcare professionals. The warmth and humanity shown by her doctors and nurses left a permanent impression.   

“There is something so powerful about being able to tell a patient ‘I understand’ and genuinely mean it.”  

Carrying pressure and gratitude together 

Although surviving cancer transformed Schoor’s perspective on life, it did not remove the challenges that followed. Studying medicine at SU became one of the greatest opportunities of her life, but also one of the most demanding. 

“Medicine is academically and emotionally challenging,” she says. There were moments when financial pressure made her question whether she would be able to continue her studies. Receiving the Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation Chancellor’s Bursary, aimed at supporting students from the “missing middle”, became a turning point not only financially but emotionally. 

“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.” More importantly, it restored something less tangible but equally important: hope. “It meant that my dreams could still become a reality despite the challenges I face.” 

The programme’s mentorship structures also became an important source of encouragement during difficult periods. Schoor speaks warmly about the support she received from mentors who consistently reminded students that their circumstances did not define their future. 

Throughout her years at university, Schoor carried another quiet source of strength with her – the memory of having already survived something much bigger than any examination or trying semester. “If I could survive cancer, I could survive the difficult seasons in university too.” 

Her journey has also connected her with a global community of transplant survivors. In 2025, she competed at the World Transplant Games in Germany, where she participated in swimming events alongside athletes from around the world who had also endured life-threatening illnesses 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.” 

More than survival 

As South Africa marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising this Youth Month, Schoor believes the courage of previous generations should continue to inspire young people facing their own struggles today. “Young people still have the power to shape a better future by never giving up, by continuing to fight even when everything tells you to give up.” 

At the same time, she believes society often misunderstands what resilience really looks like among young people carrying emotional, financial and personal burdens while still trying to succeed. “People see the success, but not many see the pressure behind it,” she notes. 

For many students, she explains, achievement is not only personal ambition. It is also about trying to create a different future for their families and communities. “Young people are often called resilient, but many are not resilient by choice.” 

Outside medicine, Schoor finds peace in simple things: camping, nature, swimming and spending time with her church community, family and friends. Her friends, she says, would probably describe her as someone “full of laughter and life”. It’s quite fitting that her name is Joy.  

Looking ahead, Schoor hopes to become a doctor who offers patients more than treatment alone. “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 teenage girl fighting for her life in a hospital ward. Today, she is preparing to become a doctor herself. “A journey far from easy, but totally worth it,” she smiles.