From extraordinary beginnings
to an extraordinary life
Janine Vorster grew up fully sighted, with no health challenges to speak of. She was the girl who excelled at everything she put her hand to — academically, in sport, in culture and in music. Life seemed to stretch open before her with nothing but promise.
That drive and love of learning took her to the North-West University in Potchefstroom, where she studied Social Work for six years, completing her degree with the kind of dedication that would come to define her. Social work was never just a career for Janine. It was a calling.
Then life changed — radically and without warning.
A rare auto-immune disease — Neuro Myelitis Optica (NMO) — stripped away her sight. Breast cancer followed. Then a bone marrow transplant. Today, Janine is currently fighting leukemia. These were not small detours on Janine's road. They were shattering, identity-altering storms. And yet — she did not stop. She did not retreat. She pressed forward into every season of suffering with a faith that refused to be extinguished.
Breast cancer was not her first encounter with its devastation. Her sister had died of breast cancer at the age of 43, leaving two young children behind. Janine's own diagnosis came with the discovery of the BRCA2 gene mutation — the hereditary marker that explained the family's story. Out of this season of grief and survival, she launched the Geloof, Hoop en Liefde Breast Cancer Project in 2020, walking alongside other women navigating a breast cancer diagnosis.
"Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains." — Matthew 17:20
Today, Janine runs a private Social Work practice where she sees up to five clients each day — meeting people in their pain with professional expertise and personal understanding that comes only from someone who has walked through darkness themselves. She stands on stages as a motivational speaker, addressing churches, organisations and community events across South Africa, offering a perspective that is equal parts raw honesty, clinical insight and radiant hope.
Janine is happily married to Jomar, and together they have raised two sons — Brendan and Duan — both of whom carry their parents' faith and resilience forward. Her family is the proof and the fruit of everything she teaches.
Despite blindness and intense health challenges, Janine has succeeded in living a full and meaningful life. Her insight and positive influence empowers others to survive their own challenging times.