Inspirational keynote speaker and cancer advocacy voice
Women’s groups, healthcare events, corporate audiences, mental health platforms and organizations seeking authentic resilience and empowerment narratives.
Samantha Stewart is an inspirational speaker whose life story embodies courage, conviction and the unbreakable human spirit. She rose to national attention in 2005 after being diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and given only six months to live. Denied access to the treatment that could save her life, she took on her medical aid and won a groundbreaking legal battle that secured her the therapy she needed. Fourteen years later, Samantha continues to defy the odds and thrive despite an initial survival prediction of just 7 percent.
Driven by her passion for advocacy, she founded PinkLink, a breast cancer NGO committed to improving treatment access. For seven years she poured herself into this work, but the emotional toll led to burnout and a nervous breakdown. Returning to Cape Town, she re entered the corporate world where the misalignment between her purpose and her environment triggered a deep loss of confidence, depression and a near suicide attempt.
Today Samantha stands in a renewed chapter of her life, supported by a loving relationship and committed to helping others reclaim their sense of identity, hope and resilience. Her keynote Redefining Femininity challenges audiences to confront the stories they tell themselves about their worth.
Inspired by a moment of seeing her own scars clearly for the first time, Samantha now uses her journey to empower others to find strength, acceptance and purpose.
Samantha Stewart uses her stories to encourage and uplift and most of all provide hope when there seems to be none.
She first came to South Africa’s attention in 2005 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and given six months to live but denied access to life saving treatment by her medical aid.
Samantha contested this decision and won an unprecedented legal battle to access the new miracle treatment.
Now, fourteen years later, she is surviving and thriving despite their predictions of a 7% survival rate.
After winning the court case, Samantha went on to found PinkLink, a Cancer Advocacy NGO focussed around improving access to Breast Cancer treatment and gave her all of herself to helping those in need until after seven years, this almost broke her, and she suffered a nervous breakdown.
Samantha Stewart moved back home to Cape Town and entered back into the corporate world and slowly built herself back up, but not serving her purpose and being fed to the corporate beast ate away at her confidence and led to depression and ultimately a close call on suicide.
Now Samantha is thriving in a loving relationship that has become her rock from which to build her new purpose built self.
Sam’s authentic story is one of hope, strength, helplessness, love and survival. Most importantly the power of the human spirit.
Her new keynote, ‘Redefining Femininity’ asks audiences: “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
When Samantha Stewart was confronted with the reality of her scars at a photoshoot, she was shocked.
After 14 years of having one breast it was the first time, she realised what she looked like.
Strangely enough, although she looked at herself in the mirror, she did not SEE scars.
It was overwhelming.
After the initial shock, she decided to explore her thought process further and delve into her past and her relationship with herself and her body and how it affects her wellbeing.
In this talk, Samantha Stewart will take you on a journey of self-discovery and open your mind and heart to the possibilities of the beauty within you.
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