Nick Jonas reflects on two decades living with type 1 diabetes

Jonas addresses the disease directly

The thirty-four-year-old artist wrote to the condition as part of Dexcom's A Letter to Diabetes campaign. He began his message by calling the illness an old friend he has known for twenty-one years. Jonas described staring at his phone to check glucose levels and reaching for his pump before eating meals with seventeen carbs. These small decisions form a real relationship between his body, mind and medical devices according to the singer.

Teenage diagnosis changed his worldview

Jonas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age thirteen when he built his life around a belief in total control. The unpredictability of the disease shook him as a teenager and dismantled that unrealistic structure bit by bit over time. He admitted feeling grateful for the lesson while also resenting how the illness took away his sense of autonomy.

Community found through open dialogue

Jonas struggled to feel like he belonged until he began talking openly about type 1 diabetes and meeting others living with it. Although he refuses to appear as a victim, he tells his tale to help children who have just received their diagnosis. His goal is to show kids someone living their dreams while managing the disease effectively every single day.