My name is Ramabele Nkoli Tsolo, most people call me Ramz, I was born and raised in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. I attended Dawn Park Primary School up to grade 4 and Parkdene Primary School from grade 5 to Grade 7 then went to Boksburg High School. My educational journey is an interesting one. I went through High School thinking I was going to be an accountant but here I am now an Engineer. After High school having realised accounting is not my forte. I went on to study towards a Diploma in Engineering Studies at South Gauteng TVET College then went on to study for a National Diploma in Civil Engineering at the Tshwane University of Technology where after theoretical completion I got my first job as a Civil Technician in training.
Weeks into the job (mid-2018) I got diagnosed with Leukemia and I needed a bone marrow stem cell transplant.
The company I worked for was gracious enough to allow me to continue working while undergoing treatment. For the next two years up to mid-2020, I was with the company periodically as treatment was demanding as well as health complications along the way. Nonetheless, I completed my Diploma in 2020 after my transplant in August 2019.
My life after transplant is one where I feel I can conquer anything I put my mind towards. If I was able to beat cancer, what in the world can stop me now?
2020 is really where life after transplant started. Lo and behold on my 24th birthday, 26 March 2020, a lockdown was imposed on the country. This was somewhat of a good thing for me as I was still in recovery so minimal interaction outside. In June 2020, my contract was not renewed because of what the world was going through. In 2021 I went on to study full-time toward an Advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering at the University of South Africa, after completion in mid-2022 I moved to Cape Town for work for the next five months. 2023 I left my job to study further towards my honours degree in Civil Engineering and graduating 30 May 2024 at the University of Johannesburg. I am now working for one of the best Engineering companies in the country, Zutari as a civil technologist.
In essence, I am truly blessed, and I am grateful for organisations such as SABMR otherwise I wouldn’t be here to tell my story.
Note: In 2018, when Ramabele was initially diagnosed and no match could be identified in his family, SABMR launched an extensive search for an unrelated donor for Ramabele. The search had to be broadened internationally. A donor from the United States of America was identified as a match for Ramabele and he was very excited to be able to help a person in need of a stem cell transplant. Ramabele and his donor had a heartfelt, emotional in-person meeting at the International Donor Registry Conference in Cape Town on 27 June 2024. They now have a very good relationship and remain in contact.