Eight Years Cancer-Free: How a Stranger Saved a Young Survivor's Life
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Like many young adults, he had dismissed the warning signs that something was wrong. Exhaustion, dark circles under his eyes, and a lack of energy all seemed like the natural consequences of a demanding varsity lifestyle, juggling his Finance Degree with the social rhythm of student life.
But a routine blood test told a different story. Within three days, Josh was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a form of blood cancer and his family's world was turned upside down.
His parents began travelling constantly between Franschhoek and Cape Town while continuing to run their two restaurants. His younger brother was preparing for matric examinations, while his 12-year-old sister tried to make sense of what was happening to her big brother.
Within a day of his diagnosis, Josh began treatment. Over the months that followed, he endured six rounds of intensive chemotherapy, monthly spinal taps, and more than 30 blood and platelet transfusions. Strict infection-control measures meant he could no longer socialise, travel, or live the life of a typical 21-year-old.
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The Stranger Who Gave Him a Second Chance
As Josh's treatment progressed, his medical team began searching for a stem cell donor for a transplant. His siblings were tested first, but neither was a match. The search expanded to the global stem cell registry and then came an extraordinary discovery.
Josh's best unrelated donor match was a young woman living in Cape Town, the very same city as him. At the time, it was the first South African-on-South African unrelated stem cell match in more than five years.
In November 2018, through DKMS Africa, Josh received the life-saving stem cell transplant he had been waiting for. Despite the physical and emotional toll of recovery, he experienced no major complications and was discharged after just 21 days.
Turning Survival into Purpose
Josh is now using his second chance to give others the same hope he was given. He supports donor drives and awareness campaigns, encouraging young South Africans to register as potential stem cell donors.
His mission became deeply personal after he mentored a young matric learner who was diagnosed with leukaemia and later lost his battle when the disease returned.
"If I can be the reason one person in a room signs up, and that person goes on to save someone else, then it feels like the right way to honour both him and my donor," Josh says.
This National Cancer Survivors Day, he hopes his story moves young South Africans to act: “You hold the power to change and save a life. A few minutes of your time could one day mean a lifetime for someone else.”
To register as a stem cell donor, go to https://www.dkms-africa.org/register-now.
About DKMS
DKMS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer. It was founded in Germany in 1991 by Dr. Peter Harf and DKMS together with the organization’s over 1,200 employees and has since relentlessly pursued the aim of giving as many patients as possible a second chance at life. With over 13 million registered donors, DKMS has succeeded in doing this more than 115,000 times to date by providing blood stem cell donations to those in need. This accomplishment has led to DKMS becoming the global leader in the facilitation of unrelated blood stem cell transplants. The organization has offices in Germany, the US, Poland, the UK, Chile, India and South Africa.
DKMS is also heavily involved in the fields of medicine and science, with its own research unit focused on continually improving the survival and recovery rate of patients. In its high-performance laboratory, the DKMS Life Science Lab, the organization sets worldwide standards in the typing of potential blood stem cell donors.
DKMS Africa received its WMDA certification in 2025, cementing its position as South Africa’s biggest and most diverse stem cell donor registry.
For more information, go to https://www.dkms-africa.org