(Xiomara Yamileth/ Kaua’i Now)
During a recent routine annual checkup, Kauaʻi resident Stefan Swanepoel received unexpected and devastating news. He has stage 4 prostate cancer.
After years spent lifting up others as president of the nonprofit North Shore Give, the 68-year-old is now the one needing help.
Swanepoel’s life shifted from community meetings and nonprofit strategy to consultations with oncologists and medical appointments across California, where he is receiving specialized healthcare.
The diagnosis also forced him to step down from the Board of Directors of the nonprofit he dearly loves.
“I don’t really want to do it,” Swanepoel said. “But my wife and ʻohana feel — and I agree — that I should focus on my health.”
He related the conversation he had with his doctor, who told him: “Your cancer is advanced and growing like a bat out of hell.”
Swanepoel said he responded: “Then we’re going to fight it the same way.”
He has chosen what he described as an aggressive, all-in treatment plan — combining chemo medication, hormone therapy, and intensive radiation.
“Give me everything you’ve got,” Swanepoel said he told doctors. “We are going to beat this.”
Multiple specialists agreed the approach was bold but viable, citing advances in modern treatment.
“They all said the same thing,” he said. “This is survivable. The chances are very high.”
Even as he begins months of treatment on the mainland, he is already planning his return to Kauaʻi, saying: “There’s no better place on the planet.”
His temporary departure marks a transition for North Shore Give, the nonprofit he helped reshape over the past several years into what he describes as a broader, more responsive community organization.
Under his leadership, the foundation expanded its mission beyond education and the fit fest to include health care access, emergency response mobilization, and wide support for other struggling nonprofits.
“We can’t stand on one or two legs,” he said. “We have to support as many different needs as possible.”
He first became involved after moving full-time to Kauaʻi just before the COVID-19 pandemic, fulfilling a lifelong goal and dream.
“As a teenager, I wrote down 10 goals,” he said. “Living in Hawaiʻi was one of them.”
Swanepoel was born in Kenya to a diplomat father and raised with schooling in Hong Kong and South Africa. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pretoria and holds a Master’s of Commerce from the University of Johannesburg, both in South Africa.
He said choosing to become an American citizen was a deliberate dream.
Over decades, heʻs built a career in real estate, authored over 65 books and reports, and launched multiple companies that he still owns and serves as chairman of before turning his attention to community work on the island.
He has delivered more than 1,100 talks about the real estate industry, with more than 700 as the keynote speaker, according to his website.
But it was Kauaʻi, he said, that increased his respect for the land.
“Hawaiʻi has taught me to be at peace with and care for the ʻaina and community,” Swanepoel said. “It reinforces what really matters.”
That perspective guided his nonprofit work — and now his approach to illness.
“I have support. I have family. I have community,” he said. “We’re going to hit this out of the park.”
In October, Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami issued a proclamation to Swanepoel on behalf of the North Shore Give team, recognizing his leadership in helping North Shore Give raise more than $1.3 million for the community.
The proclamation highlighted, in particular, the recent “Gift of Health” campaign, which provides financial support to purchase additional medical equipment for Makana North Shore Urgent Care in Princeville.
Under Swanepoel’s leadership, North Shore Give has expanded preparedness and emergency readiness education through initiatives such as North Shore Ready. It has also continued its support of Namahana School, which North Shore Give initiated 14 years ago, sustained a scholarship fund for Kauaʻi Community College students, and organized the annual ʻOhana Fitfest.
Together, these programs have strengthened health, resilience, and opportunities for the numerous communities on Kauaʻi.
Following Swanepoel’s resignation, the North Shore Give Board of Directors reorganized to ensure continuity and momentum in its work. The leadership of North Shore Give will now transition to Vice President Louis LaFratta, a longtime community leader and Sotheby’s real estate professional.
Swanepoel describes him as “a gentle and caring soul” and a leader who will continue leading the foundation with a steady hand.
Other board members are stepping into adjusted roles, with longtime volunteers filling key positions: Ken Rosenthal was elected vice president, Yvette Amshoff was elected secretary, and April McGinnis will continue her position as treasurer. The foundation anticipates minimal disruption, with all 2026 projects expected to proceed as planned.
“Stefan has helped shape the direction and strength of North Shore Give in a meaningful way,”
LaFratta said.
“His leadership as president, along with his thoughtfulness and deep commitment to this community, has left a lasting mark. While we will miss his presence on the board, we fully support his decision to focus on his health and family, and we stand with Stefan and Era during this time.”
LaFratta added that the board is stepping forward together to advance the North Shore Give mission, which has been “strengthened and brought into sharper focus under Stefan’s leadership.”
For many on the North Shore, the leader’s absence will be felt. But he insists the mission is bigger than any one person.
“Stefan’s diagnosis is incredibly difficult news for all of us,” said Maylette Garces, executive
Director of North Shore Give.
“Stefan leads with both vision and heart. His impact on North Shore Give goes far beyond his time on the board. It’s in the relationships he built, the generosity he inspired, and the way he showed up for this community again and again. We will continue the work ahead with that same sense of purpose,” she said.
And as he prepares for treatment, Swanepoel carries with him a sense of purpose that extends beyond his diagnosis.
“Love each other. Care for each other. Work together,” he said. “If we do it as a community, we can change thousands of lives, and that matters most.”
