CAPE TOWN – Just over a year after fighting for his life, 14-year-old Jason Keymer from Capri Village has achieved his dream– standing on Antarctica’s vast white expanse recently, completely cancer-free.
In 2024, Keymer was diagnosed with a germinoma brain tumour, marking what his family describes as the line between “before” and “after”.
The aggressive radiation treatment that followed brought crushing fatigue, hormonal disruption, sleeplessness and severe appetite loss that made simply eating a daily struggle.
However, today Keymer is cancer-free after undergoing years of medical treatment, radiation and therapy.
Keymer is a Grade 8 learner at Fish Hoek High School and lives at home with his mom, dad, and older sister, Erinn. He also enjoys mountain biking, swimming and previously participated in interschool events. He is slowly trying to get back into cycling as some days he struggles to do any normal tasks.
Dream becomes reality
Antarctica had been Keymer’s dream destination since childhood. “He has always been fascinated by Antarctica and had long dreamed of visiting the icy continent,” said his mother, Lee-Anne.
Earlier this year, when White Desert Antarctica, an adventure tourism company that operates in the interior of Antarctica, sponsored a life-changing journey for Keymer and his mother, that brought his dream to reality.
On Thursday 29 January, Keymer left Cape Town in a five hour flight to the Antarctica, a first ever travel outside of the country for the teenager.
Upon arrival, he said it was “less cold than he had imagined, and he found it far more beautiful than he expected.”
During his short stay, Keymer explored the vast open spaces of ice, the ice crevasses that resembled ice caves and even abseiled down an ice cliff. “To see him standing there, healthy and strong after everything he’s endured, was overwhelming. It reminded us that even after the harshest seasons, life can still be beautiful. It was one of the greatest days he had ever experienced,” she said.
Community healing network
The Keymers describe the Southern Peninsula as their “healing mecca”, where an entire community rallied around them. “During this time, we experienced firsthand how the community in Noordhoek and the Deep South has so much to offer and came together to heal Keymer. People were checking in, making meals, sending messages, offering assistance, sharing research, and guiding us through the process,” she said.
Wings Hyperbaric Centre in Noordhoek provided oxygen therapy, while a nutritional scientist guided targeted supplementation strategies. Unconventional therapies included healing sessions with Solara Wing’s horses in Noordhoek.
“We have been carried by this community,” Lee-Anne explains. “From medical professionals to friends who brought meals – every single act mattered. When you’re in crisis, you realise how extraordinary ordinary people can be.”
Symbol of resilience
For Keymer, reaching Antarctica wasn’t about “escaping his diagnosis” but “proving it doesn’t define his future’s size.”
“Recovery is not linear. There are setbacks. There are hard days. Energy fluctuates. But with medical care, innovation, family support and a community willing to step forward, healing is possible,” she said.
Keymer hopes to return to the icy plains and do some research during his visit. “He thinks Antarctica is not only beautiful but really important.
The trip made him believe that dreams can really come true, and that you should never give up on them. He is dreaming of a time when he is fit and in strong enough to ride his mountain bike in competitions again and go on more adventures,” Lee-Anne said.
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