“I love you. This is beautiful. Thank you.”
Those are among the few words murdered Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, is now able to say after a major health scare that left her struggling to speak.
Diagnosed with Wernicke’s aphasia, June is slowly finding her voice again, one word at a time.
June’s world changed in an instant on September 1, 2025, when a stroke stole her ability to communicate in ways most people take for granted.
She now lives with a condition that allows speech to flow, but often without meaning, a cruel contradiction that leaves her knowing what she wants to say, yet unable to make herself understood.
Physically, June remains capable, but her days require constant guidance and 24-hour care.
Simple interactions that once passed unnoticed are now measured in painstaking moments of patience, repetition and hope.
And yet, amid the hardship, light continues to break through. She has begun to form a handful of precious, meaningful phrases, “thank you”, “this is beautiful”, “I love it”, and “hello” words that carry far more weight than they ever did before.
This week delivered a moment few could have imagined in the early days of her recovery.
June referred to herself by name, a breakthrough that brought tears, disbelief and renewed strength to those around her.
“We continue to celebrate these small victories, remaining optimistic about the potential for further recovery of her speech and language function,” said the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation.
For now, progress comes in fragments rather than sentences, but each fragment matters.
The years since Reeva’s death have taken an unrelenting toll on June and her late husband, Barry.
Barry, who stood beside June through the aftermath of their daughter’s murder in 2013, died on September 14, 2023, a loss June has described as born of heartbreak and an unending sense of pain after Reeva’s passing.
June is surrounded by care, kindness and unwavering love, a safe space where she is not defined by what she has lost, but by who she still is.
In this environment, she is thriving in her own way, finding peace and comfort even as she continues the long journey of healing.
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