SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —A Taekwondo teacher of over 30 years is remembering his time as a teacher and all the lives he’s changed.

While he’s been known as Master Vink for decades, in 1981 Troy Vink was just a student that fell in love with Taekwondo.

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“It’s something that kind of grows in your heart and it’s something you just get a passion for. And even though my dad would quit Taekwondo, I kept going with it because I thought it was something that I would really enjoy and love doing,” taught taekwondo for 30 years, Troy Vink said.

Wes Grieme was his instructor at the time

“He was a youngster, but he was very dedicated with everything that he did. And you could see that come out in how hard he would work in class,” Vink’s original instructor, Wes Grieme said.

That hard work paid off, as Vink soon started teaching Taekwondo. Over the years, he’s taught over 2,100 people, one of them being Veronica Shukla.

“He is great at teaching Taekwondo, but more importantly, he taught a lot of other aspects that kind of come along with Taekwondo, but also some that don’t. He taught a lot of self-control and discipline, but also, he particularly helped me with perseverance,” Master Vink’s Student, Veronica Shukla said.

In February of 2024, Vink was diagnosed with stage 4 Colorectal Cancer, but he didn’t let that slow him down. He continued on teaching until the middle of December. He credits the Taekwondo mentality and community for helping him through this battle.

“Some of the things people tend to forget about are like the self-control, indomitable spirit and the things they keep in the back of your mind and in your heart, that they carry with you in Taekwondo. So that’s some of the things that Taekwondo really helps you carry through some of the times like this,” Vink said.

“It might seem like maybe he was hiding it, keeping it a secret about his diagnosis or about his suffering, his treatment. But I think he really just wanted to keep it about Taekwondo. He didn’t want it to be about himself. He didn’t want any of the focus to be taken off of Taekwondo. That was his number one objective,” Shukla said.

He hopes his journey can help inspire young Taekwondo students to continue to march forward.

“A black belt is just a white belt that never quit learning,” Vink said.

Click here to help Master Vink in his battle with cancer.