GQEBERHA – The mother of murdered model Reeva Steenkamp, is fighting for her recovery in hospital after suffering a stroke, prompting an urgent appeal for financial assistance from the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation.
June Steenkamp, aged 78, was hospitalised on Monday, 1 September, following a stroke and is currently receiving treatment at a government hospital. With her 79th birthday approaching on 26th September, she faces what medical professionals describe as “a long road to recovery” requiring substantial rehabilitation.
The family’s friend and attorney, Tania Koen, explained that June’s condition necessitates comprehensive rehabilitation services, including speech therapy and other specialist treatments. The estimated cost of private care at Aurora Nurture Health is R7,000 per day, though the full extent of her requirements remains unclear at this early stage.
“It will not be a week or two,” Koen shared with the PE Express. “We believe in praying for miracles. It is too early to say what she would need.”
According to Koen, June had been experiencing declining health for several months prior to the stroke. Three weeks before the incident, a doctor was arranged for a house visit due to concerns about her well-being. When her condition failed to improve, arrangements were made for her to stay with friends for monitoring.
“She was still not well, so I arranged for a friend to fetch her, and I took her to the doctor and had tests done,” Koen recounted. “She was here for two weeks. I had to fly to Johannesburg for a gender-based violence event, and June wanted to go home on Thursday because she was feeling better.”
However, the situation deteriorated rapidly over the weekend. “On Saturday, I received a call from a friend who said that something was not okay. When I arrived home on Monday, she was placed on a drip.”
June remains in a government hospital where she is being monitored and treated for both the stroke and an accompanying infection. Medical staff are providing supportive care whilst her condition stabilises before rehabilitation can commence.
Meanwhile, the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation has established a dedicated fund to ensure June receives the necessary private care and rehabilitation services. In a heartfelt social media appeal, the foundation stated: “We are reaching out with a heavy heart to let you know that June suffered a stroke on Monday, 1 September, and is currently in a government hospital.”
The foundation emphasised that any funds remaining after June’s recovery will be donated to the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation to continue its vital mission of combating gender-based violence. As June approaches her 79th birthday later this month, the family and foundation are “praying for a miracle” whilst working to ensure she receives the best possible care during her recovery journey.
How to contribute
The Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation was established in memory of June’s daughter, Reeva Steenkamp, who was tragically murdered by Oscar Pistorius in 2013.
For more information contact Tania Koen at [email protected] or click on www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-june-steenkamp-on-her-road-to-recovery.
