After finally enrolling to do her master's degree in meteorology, Celeste Fourie received the devastating news that she had cancer in her brain. However, that did not deter her from achieving her dreams, and after surgery and treatment, the South African Weather Service forecaster graduated with an average mark of above 70%.
Fourie, 30, said she always aimed to complete a master's degree in meteorology. After enrolling at the University of Pretoria and more than halfway through her studies, she was admitted to hospital for a different procedure in 2022.
While hospitalised, she started to develop migraines, and the painkillers she received had no effect in alleviating the excruciating pain in her head.
Three days later, her doctor decided to conduct a CT scan to find the cause of the persisting migraine, and discovered a tumour on her brain.
“They thought it was bleeding on the brain and sent me for an MRI scan to verify this. The MRI scan confirmed it was a tumour. I was more than halfway into my master’s degree when I was diagnosed. At that moment, I was dumbfounded and there was no rational thought. I thought it was the end of me and what was the point of doing my master's degree if this diagnosis was giving me a five-year life expectancy?
“To be told you have cancer at the age of 28, you don’t see yourself reaching 40 or 50. I expected to leave the earth in the next five years. My initial thought was to completely stop the master’s studies,” she said.
After further tests and discovering the cancer was not aggressive and her life was not at risk as she had initially thought, she instead requested the university for an extension to complete her studies, which was approved.
Fourie underwent surgery where 90% of the tumour was removed, and after a year of assessing if it would return, she was given the all clear and was not required to undergo chemotherapy.
The tumour had, however, affected her walking and reading ability, which she worked on with the support of her family after moving in with her father for six months.
In 2023, she returned to her studies but started her degree from scratch, as she felt as though her previous work was written by someone else, despite it being her own work.
From then on, her studies started to “flow much better,” she told TimesLIVE Premium.
She said she was fortunate that the university and her employer, the SA Weather Service, were lenient and understanding of her ill health. The university allowed her flexibility in submitting assignments while she was off work for nine months. A determined Fourie said despite the lenience from the university, she aimed to complete her assignments on time.
Fourie finally completed her degree with a mark above 70% and took to the graduation stage on September 4.
“I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and a sense of achievement. There are no words to describe it. I had officially completed this with all the major hurdles I had to face with my diagnosis. Even reaching a mark above 70, it was like running the Comrades Marathon and realising you are getting a medal and it’s your first Comrades Marathon ever.”
She said she finally returned to work just before spring last year and is grateful to her family as they played an important role in getting her through her healing and academic journey.
“Without my family, it's unimaginable that I would have completed what I achieved. My family was there every single day and motivated me and helped me with basic challenges. My employer was also supportive and understanding and I returned to work just before spring last year. My father is exceptionally proud of me and is happy that it is now done.”
In the meantime, Fourie said she wants to take a break and plan her next step after completing her degree and making a full recovery.
“The first achievement was leaving the hospital and going home, which was the first sign that I was healing. Another was being able to walk on my own and being able to read with full understanding. Every small milestone that I achieved made me feel one step closer to recovery. One of the biggest ones was being able to drive again. It’s these small things that people take for granted. I also took them for granted. I need to take a rest while planning my next step. I achieved a monumental achievement,” she told TimesLIVE Premium.
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