Sebastian Machill – Making her life as easy as possible

Sebastian Machill shares why he chooses to be as supportive as he can be to his girlfriend who has diabetes, Chelsea Schippers.

Sebastian Machill (23) lives in Wynberg, Cape Town.

Meeting Chelsea

When I met Chelsea, she had just recently been diagnosed. I was really intrigued by her condition, I knew what Type 1 diabetes was biologically speaking. But, it fascinated me how it affected her and how she had to do certain things daily, but I also found it quite sad to hear how normal life is quite difficult for her. Seeing how she pushes on and carries on with life made me see how much of a warrior she actually is. We started dating in March 2022.

Support comes in all forms

I support her in any way that I can, from injecting insulin for her to running around the house or driving to a petrol station at 3am to get her something to combat her lows.

I try to be emotionally supportive too. Having Type 1 diabetes is hard, physically it’s painful but emotionally I think it’s even harder. So, I’m there for her when she needs me. I help her count carbs and help her work out how many units she needs. When her blood glucose has been constant and within the safe zone during the night, I congratulate her every time, or I help her figure out why it went low to prevent it from happening again. I do what I can to make her life as easy as possible.

In my opinion, I think the hardest part of having Type 1 diabetes is the constant reminder that this is your life and that you’ll never be the same. The highs, lows, finger pricks, CGMs, doctor’s appointments; it’s a lot and it’s hard, it truly is. That’s why I admire her so much because despite all of this, she still smiles through it all.

New diabetes knowledge gained

Since dating Chelsea I’ve learnt a lot. There is a massive need for awareness of Type 1 diabetes, and a push to improve the lives of those affected by it, kids especially, and even more so those in the poorer communities who suffer the most.

There is a massive difference between Type 1 and Type 2, and Type 1s more often than not get thrown into the same pool as Type 2s, but yet they are significantly different from each other. Therefore, they get neglected by the government and medical aid companies. I’ve seen an eight-year-old girl having to prick her fingers several times a day and inject her insulin using a big syringe and needle, because it works. It’s heart-breaking.

The best thing I’ve learnt is that despite hardships and difficulties in life, through the highs and lows, there is always a reason to smile. Chelsea taught me that.

Volunteering at DSA

I started volunteering at DSA shortly after I started dating Chelsea when I saw, through her, that they needed all the help that they could get, especially in terms of a film and photography aspect.

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