Nick Jonas opens up about having Type 1 diabetes, wanting to be a role model
Singer says having a support system is important
With November being National Diabetes Awareness Month in the US, singer Nick Jonas has gotten candid about having Type 1 diabetes and how he’d like to be a role model to others who have the disease.
Jonas, 29, was diagnosed when he was 13 years old when one of his brothers realised he was having symptoms — unquenchable thirst for sugary sodas and drastic weight loss.
”When I was first diagnosed, I was sitting in the hospital and was scared to death, honestly, while I was learning about how to manage this new thing I was dealing with,” Jonas told People magazine.
Those with Type 1 diabetes create very little or no insulin and require medication.
“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 added.
The 29-year-old singer added that having a support system in the form of his wife, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, and family that includes his brothers Kevin and Joe, has been helpful.
“I think that mental and emotional health aspect of it is really important,” Jonas said. “I certainly speak to my therapist ... and luckily, I’ve got a really good support system around me and a great set of doctors.”