Highlights
- Nick Jonas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 13 and experienced significant weight loss due to the disease.
- Managing diabetes has been a journey for Nick Jonas, but he now has a good handle on it and wants to be a role model for others.
- He has learned to manage his diabetes through a healthy and active lifestyle and is grateful for the support of his family and wife, Priyanka Chopra.
Nick Jonas has opened up about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 13 years old, revealing that the disease caused him to lose an excessive amount of weight. Type 1 diabetes means the body creates very little or no insulin, requiring medication.
“13 years ago today I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes,” the singer and actor wrote on a 2018 Instagram post. He posted a photo of himself a few weeks after the diagnosis.
“Barely 100 pounds after having lost so much weight from my blood sugar being so high before going to the doctor where I would find out I was diabetic,” he captioned the image. “On the right is me now. Happy and healthy. Prioritizing my physical health, working out and eating healthy and keeping my blood sugar in check.”
Although it has been an ongoing battle, 30-year-old Jonas now has a “fairly good grip on it.” He admitted that he wished he had someone to look up to after being diagnosed so young. He now wants to be that role model for others who are trying to manage the disease.
The Symptoms Nick Jonas Had Before Diabetes Diagnosis
Before his diagnosis, Nick Jonas had felt like something wasn’t right whilst on tour with his musical brothers, Kevin and Joe. “I just knew something was off and that if I didn’t get care soon I’d be in real trouble.”
Speaking with On Track Diabetes, the ‘Jealous’ singer explained how he initially noticed a change in his temperament, had started feeling thirsty all the time and needed to use the bathroom far more than normal. Nick explained to People about how one of his older brothers first recognized that he was drinking an “insatiable” amount of soda yet had lost weight.
After having his blood sugar levels tested by a doctor, the actor and singer was rushed to a hospital. “I had this kind of wrench thrown into things when I was diagnosed, and it took a while to figure out how to count carbs to properly dose for insulin and what things would affect me in different ways,” he explained.
He admitted at first he was “so concerned that it was going to limit my ability to do all the things I wanted to do. I was very scared — it’s a big life change,” before adding, “I found out very quickly it’s a very manageable disease, as long as you’re really diligent.”
How Nick Jonas Felt Being Diagnosed With Diabetes At Just 13
Nick Jonas admits when he was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes he was “scared to death.” The star wishes he would have had a role model when “he was learning about how to manage this new thing I was dealing with.”
Nick Jonas recalled, “It would have been amazing to have someone to look at, at that time to say, oh, this is a person living with it and they’re following their dreams. They’re doing what they want to do with their lives and not letting it slow them down.”
He was also scared it may be the end of his musical cause. “I was thinking that this might end my dream of being able to tour the world and play our music.” Luckily, it had only made Nick more committed to his career. “Where I’ve had tough days. Where my blood sugar was high or low and I’ve just had to figure it out and push through.”
But he mostly found it “tough” seeing his parents so distraught. “I don’t think most people realize the impact that a diabetes diagnosis has not only on the individual but on their family and their friends,” Nick Jonas explained.
What is the one bit of advice he wishes he would have known when he was diagnosed? “That not every day was going to be perfect. There are going to be days that are tougher than others, and it’s just important not to get down on yourself. It’s a journey. And if you can take a deep breath in those tough moments and allow yourself to have a beat to reset, then it’s going to be okay,” the singer told Beyond Type 1.
How Nick Jonas Manages His Diabetes Now
Seventeen years after his diagnosis, Nick Jonas explained that he’s been able to manage the condition by following a healthy and active lifestyle. “I have full control of my day-to-day life with this disease, and I’m so grateful to my family and loved ones who have helped me every step of the way,” he writes on Instagram.
He has an uplifting message for anyone else diagnosed with the disease, “Never let anything hold you back from living your best life.”
The singer said it has now become his mission to help others “stay encouraged” as they navigate diabetes. He is supported by his wife, Priyanka Chopra, and family — including his bandmates and siblings, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas.
“Having a partner that is loving and supportive and thoughtful in that way is really important. And I’m really grateful for that,” he said about Priyanka Chopra, who he married in 2018. The pair have a daughter, called Maltie Marie, born via surrogate in 2022.
“I think that mental and emotional health aspect of it is really important,” he added. “I certainly speak to my therapist … and luckily, I’ve got a really good support system around me and a great set of doctors.”
Source: NewsFinale
