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An Inside Look at Living with Type 1 Diabetes with Nick Jonas

Updated: 8/14/21 6:00 amPublished: 6/26/15

by Esther Wu

Twitter Summary: @nickjonas talks to the #DOC about living w/ #T1D, we round up his inspiring quotes

Singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas, who has had type 1 diabetes since he was 13, recently announced a partnership with Dexcom, Inc., to raise awareness of the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people with diabetes. Last week, our team had the opportunity to attend an interview with Nick and members of the diabetes online community to learn more about this partnership and how diabetes has impacted his life. Enclosed below are some “quotable quotes” from the call, including his message to young children who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, how his CGM has affected his lifestyle, and how advocacy fits in with his career.

“From day one, I was pretty adamant about taking care of it [my diabetes] myself without relying on other people, so one of the biggest changes [has been] giving up my control of that. I’ve got great family and great friends that want to help me and make my life easier; there’s a lot of growth in saying ‘that’s okay.’”

“I know that there are people who are always a little concerned to take steps forward. It’s easier and more comfortable to sit with what you know and what’s comfortable for you, and so stepping out of that box can be difficult. But in my case the results were incredible: my A1c is the best it’s been and I feel the best I’ve been…I began using CGM about three years ago, and it’s just simplifying my life.”

“The thing that drives me in a lot of ways is being able to help other people, talking about the real life challenges of this disease and ways to approach it to make it easier. I want to build a community that is open to talking about diabetes…I didn’t know anything about diabetes before I was diagnosed. It’s about educating when you can and helping the overall cause and making people more aware.”

“I think my diabetes has definitely made me stronger. It’s a big contributor to my character as a person.”

“[To kids diagnosed with type 1] Stay strong and know that it’s all going to be okay. There’s some comfort there knowing you’re not alone”

For more on Nick Jonas’ experience with diabetes, check out Dexcom’s page here – featuring an inspiring video of Nick.

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