Anastacia Marais, 22, from Meyerton, Gauteng, has been fighting acute myeloid leukemia since 2022 and is now racing to fund the bone marrow transplant that can save her life. On the 22nd of July, Ana’s boyfriend’s father, Christoffel Van Der Merwe, launched a community crowdfunding campaign in the hopes that Anastacia can receive the operation at a private Pretoria hospital with the right doctors, equipment and care. In the first 10 days, 44 donors gave R35,750 toward a target of R800,000—an early surge of kindness that mirrors Anastacia’s determination and the impact she has on those around her. Thanks to DKMS, half of the transplant cost will be covered; the campaign aims to raise the remaining amount so she can proceed without delay.
A mother who never left her side and a family that knows this fight
Christoffel started the campaign because Anastacia isn’t only dating his son, Gerhard—she’s become a special piece of the Van Der Merwe family.
“She’s a big part of our family—that’s why I started the campaign,” he says.
Their understanding runs deep: when Gerhard was just two, he too battled leukemia. The family remembers the fear and the long nights, and they’ve chosen, again, to meet it with gentleness and action.
Just as steadfast has been Anastacia’s mother, who has stood by her side from day one—taking her to every appointment, sitting long hours in wards, and phoning twice a day (three times when she couldn’t visit).
“My mother was my rock—she came to the hospital every single day for the first four months,” Anastacia says, adding heartfelt thanks to her stepfather and a far-flung network of relatives who checked in, visited, and brought comfort.
Anastacia grew up between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town with a devoted single mom—early lessons in courage and adaptation that now serve her daily. During the hardest stretches, Anastacia lived with Gerhard’s family and they provided for her—rides to appointments, meals on the tough days, and laughter on the better ones. Before illness, she was a whirl of curiosity and movement.
“I was curious about everything—I wanted to experience the world in every way I could,” she reflects.
Hiking, dance, karate—if it promised discovery, she tried it. That spirit didn’t disappear when cancer arrived at 19; it adapted. There was remission in 2023, a shattering relapse in 2024, and—after more courage than most see in a lifetime—remission again.
Through it all, she insists, “I’ve never stopped fighting. Not once.”
‘I chose to live, not just survive’
Her love story with Gerhard is a thread of steadiness.
“When I found out I had leukemia, I gave him the option to leave,” she says. “But he chose to stay. Not out of obligation—but out of love.”
His family echoed that choice, showing up with practical help and quiet faith. On her own side, the support has been just as fierce:
Alongside him, her mother’s constancy never wavered: lifts to treatments, bedside vigils, and daily calls that stitched courage into the toughest hours.
“My mom really stood by my side,” Anastacia says. “She made so much effort, and I wouldn’t be who I am without her.”
In 2024, with renewed remission, Anastacia took a brave step into life: she and Gerhard moved into their own place—close enough to family for help, far enough to practice independence.
“I didn’t want to just survive anymore—I wanted to live,” she explains.
The small rituals feel like victory: morning coffees, late‑night talks, and a home that holds both the scars and the laughter.
This Women’s Month, her message is clear. “Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it is power,” she says. “It takes real courage to open up, to say, ‘I need help.’ But when you do, the world meets you with more kindness than you ever imagined.” And to every woman navigating a hard road: “We are women. And that alone makes us warriors.”
Why this transplant—and this moment—matter
Doctors agree that a bone marrow transplant is Anastacia’s best and only path to lasting survival. The Pretoria team is ready; DKMS’s sponsorship halves the financial mountain; and the remaining funds will unlock the operation, after‑care and the chance to plan a future that is bigger than appointments and blood counts.
The campaign has already shown what the community can do—R35,750 raised by 44 people—and this raise was done in just 10 days. Now the wider circle has a chance to finish what love began. Anastacia’s dream is disarmingly simple: study again, work a job she loves—perhaps genetics or zoology—earn her independence, and keep chasing sunrises with the people who never let go.
“That version of me still lives inside me today,” she says. “The illness changed my path, but it never dimmed my light or my hunger for life.”
Every rand given is routed straight to the hospital via a BackaBuddy Blue Tick campaign, ensuring transparency meets urgency. Each contribution becomes hospital days covered, specialist time secured, and a transplant scheduled at the right place with the right team. The generosity that carried her this far can carry her the final stretch—from surviving to living.
Share Anastacia’s story with your networks—every share widens the circle of care and brings her transplant closer.
To support Anastacia Marais visit their BackaBuddy campaign link here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/anastacia-marais
Become a blood stem cell donor in South Africa: start with DKMS Africa’s online sign-up to request a free cheek-swab kit (most donations are done as an outpatient via apheresis; ages 17–55). Alternatively, you can register with the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), which accepts donors aged 16–45 and ships a swab kit or books you at a nearby
depot.DKMS Africa (sign up): https://www.dkms-africa.org/register-now
SABMR (become a donor): https://sabmr.co.za/become-a-donor/
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