Share This Article
At nine years old, while the rest of her family tucked into warm Christmas pudding, Imke Erasmus sat quietly eating sugar-free jelly. It wasn’t the dessert she remembers most. It was the feeling. The feeling of being different. Only months earlier, she had been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes after rapidly losing weight, constantly being thirsty and making endless trips to the bathroom. At the time, neither she nor her family recognised the symptoms of an autoimmune disease that would change her life forever. For a little girl trying desperately to fit in, diabetes suddenly became the thing everyone noticed first.
“It wasn’t just Christmas,” she recalls. “I wasn’t invited to many birthday parties because other parents were worried they wouldn’t know how to look after me or what I could eat. My mom was always concerned I’d have a severe hypoglycaemic episode, so she didn’t want me taking part in sport. More than anything, I just wanted to be like everyone else.”
Nearly four decades later, Erasmus has achieved exactly that – and so much more. Rather than allowing diabetes to define her future, she has built a career helping people living with the condition, founded her own successful business, and has now returned to the diabetes healthcare industry as part of Ethitech, one of South Africa’s leading diabetes medical technology companies. During Women’s Month, she is helping launch SYAI, a new continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) solution designed to make life-changing diabetes technology more accessible to South Africans.
Type 1 Diabetes is frequently misunderstood. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, it is not caused by lifestyle or eating too much sugar. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It cannot be prevented and requires lifelong insulin therapy.
“The biggest misconception is that people think you somehow caused it,” says Erasmus. “Nothing I ate caused my diabetes, and there was nothing my parents could have done to prevent it.” She believes another misconception is that diabetes is simply managed with an injection or two each day.
“The reality is that diabetes is a full-time job that you never get to clock out of. Every meal, every walk, every stressful meeting, every illness and even a poor night’s sleep can affect your glucose levels. People might see you checking your blood sugar or injecting insulin, but they don’t see the hundreds of decisions you make every single day just to stay healthy.”
Even today, after almost forty years of living with the condition, the burden never disappears.
“I recently travelled to Greece, and although I wear a continuous glucose monitor, I never get to take a holiday from diabetes. You’re constantly thinking about insulin, meals, exercise and glucose levels. Technology makes it easier, but it doesn’t make diabetes disappear.”
Looking back, Erasmus believes living with diabetes shaped her character in unexpected ways.
“I think feeling different made me incredibly determined. I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that diabetes wouldn’t define me, so I worked hard and excelled at school and later at university.”
She initially studied to become a pharmacist because she wanted to work in healthcare, but quickly realised her greatest passion lay in helping people gain access to innovative medical technologies that could genuinely improve their quality of life. Living with diabetes herself gave her a perspective that could never be learnt from a textbook.
“I’ve sat on both sides of the table. I’ve been the patient, and I’ve worked alongside healthcare professionals. That combination helped me understand not only the science behind diabetes management but also the emotional reality of living with it every day.”
Over the next two decades, she built a respected career within South Africa’s diabetes healthcare industry, helping introduce technologies designed to improve the lives of thousands of people living with diabetes. After twenty years immersed in diabetes care, Erasmus made a decision that surprised many people around her. She walked away.
“There wasn’t one dramatic moment,” she explains. “It was more a gradual realisation that diabetes had become such a central part of my identity that I wanted to discover who I was outside of it.”
That journey led to the creation of The Blossomry, a boutique flower business that started with bunches made in her garage for friends. Today, the business employs four people and operates from Midstream Super Spar, specialising in whimsical floral arrangements that reflect Erasmus’s creativity.
“It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she says. “It reminded me how difficult building a business really is. Passion is important, but resilience, adaptability and the willingness to keep learning every day are just as important.”
Yet despite building a successful new venture, something was missing.
“I realised I missed making a meaningful difference to people’s health. Every time I spoke to someone living with diabetes or heard about new technology becoming available, I felt excited. That’s when I knew this wasn’t simply a career. It was my purpose.”
Sometimes, stepping away is exactly what allows someone to see where they truly belong. That renewed purpose has culminated in the launch of SYAI – short for Synchronised Artificial Intelligence – distributed in South Africa by Ethitech and developed by a proudly women-led team with more than 100 years of collective experience in the diabetes medical technology industry. While artificial intelligence forms an important part of the innovation, Erasmus believes the real strength behind SYAI lies equally in the decades of experience, clinical insight and deep understanding of the daily realities faced by people living with diabetes. Their shared mission is simple: to make continuous glucose monitoring more accessible to South Africans.
For Erasmus, and the experienced team behind SYAI, this is about far more than introducing another continuous glucose monitoring system to the market. It is about combining decades of experience with new technology to offer people living with diabetes another trusted option designed to improve quality of life. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology measures glucose levels continuously throughout the day and night using a small wearable sensor. Instead of relying solely on occasional finger-prick tests, users receive a complete picture of how food, exercise, stress, illness and sleep affect their glucose levels in real time.
“When I first started using CGM, I realised how much information I had been missing,” Erasmus explains. “I finally understood what my glucose was doing between finger-prick tests.”
The technology transformed her own diabetes management.
“It has given me confidence. I spend more time within my target range, experience fewer severe highs and lows, and make decisions based on real-time information rather than guesswork.”
For families, the benefits extend far beyond numbers on a screen.
“The stories that stay with me most are those of parents who wake up several times every night to check their child’s glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitoring doesn’t only change the life of the person living with diabetes; it changes the life of the whole family.”
Despite the proven benefits of continuous glucose monitoring, Erasmus says cost remains one of the greatest barriers for many South Africans.
“Far too many people still don’t have access because they simply can’t afford it. Many medical schemes don’t provide adequate reimbursement, which means thousands of people miss out on technology that could improve their health and quality of life.”
Having met countless families unable to access the technology, the issue is deeply personal.
“Those conversations are heartbreaking because you know this technology could genuinely improve someone’s life, yet affordability remains the biggest obstacle.” This is where SYAI plays a powerful role. “Our goal is simple. We want more South Africans to benefit from continuous glucose monitoring and the insights it provides. Access shouldn’t depend on where you live or whether you have comprehensive private medical cover.”
Artificial Intelligence often raises concerns, particularly in healthcare. Erasmus believes education is key. “AI isn’t replacing doctors or making decisions on behalf of people living with diabetes,” she explains. “It’s there to help make sense of large amounts of glucose data and provide meaningful insights.”
She compares it to the evolution of how people access information.
“We used encyclopaedias, then Google, and now many people use AI to understand information more efficiently. Healthcare is no different. AI is another tool that supports informed decision-making.”
Importantly, she says people remain in control.
“If someone isn’t comfortable using the AI features, they can simply switch them off. We call it SAFE AI because it is designed to support people, not replace them.”
By identifying patterns and trends that may otherwise go unnoticed, AI has the potential to make diabetes management increasingly proactive rather than reactive.
Launching SYAI during Women’s Month is particularly fitting. It is the story of a South African woman who has transformed personal adversity into professional purpose while leading businesses in two very different industries. Asked what she hopes readers take away from her story, Erasmus pauses before answering.
“I hope people realise that no diagnosis, setback or challenge has to define their future. We all face obstacles, but those obstacles can become the very thing that gives us purpose.”
Her advice to women considering entrepreneurship is equally straightforward.
“Don’t wait until everything feels perfect. Start before you’re ready. Surround yourself with passionate people, ask for help when you need it and don’t let fear stop you. South Africa needs more women building businesses and creating opportunities.”
Erasmus hopes to help create a South Africa where every person living with Type 1 Diabetes has access to the technology they need to live healthier, fuller lives.
“If I’ve helped even one child grow up believing that diabetes will never limit their dreams, then I’ll know I’ve made a difference.”
It is a remarkable ambition for someone who once sat quietly eating sugar-free jelly while wondering why she couldn’t simply be like everyone else. Nearly forty years later, that little girl hasn’t simply refused to let diabetes define her life. She has chosen to use it to change the lives of others.
For more information about SYAI, please visit www.syaisync.co.za