Phumeza Tisile is a health activist, student at the University of Cape Town, and an advocacy officer at TB Proof. In 2010 she was diagnosed with normal tuberculosis but eventually learned that she had extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). She went through grueling treatment for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) that left her deaf in both ears. In February 2015 she got a once in a lifetime chance to hear again through a crowdfunded campaign that helped pay for two cochlear implants. She has led numerous advocacy efforts around the world. In 2014, she co-authored and presented the first DR-TB manifesto, “Test Me, Treat Me,” to the World Health Assembly in Geneva. In 2023, she was named on the TIME100 Next list of influential leaders.