Pop star Nick Jonas has confessed he often “resents” having diabetes after spending 21 years living with the condition.
Nick Jonas “resents” having diabetes after spending 21 years living with the condition.
The 34-year-old pop star was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 13 years old and he’s now opened up about the health issue in an open letter as part of National Diabetes Awareness Month and he addressed his message to the condition itself which he described as his “old friend”.
Nick wrote: “Hello, old friend. How long has it been? 21 years. 21 years, and you haven’t changed a bit … It’s funny how often we talk. Staring at my phone to see where my glucose is. Reaching for my pump to bolus because I’m about to eat something with 17 carbs. Those are just a couple of the hundreds of little decisions I make every week.
“Most people never notice them. But they add up to a real relationship, because that’s what diabetes is. It’s an ongoing conversation between your body, your mind and your devices.”
The Jonas Brothers star went on to admit his life changed after his diagnosis because of the condition’s “unpredictability”.
He added: “I’d built my whole life around this unrealistic structure and belief that I was in control. You took that apart over the years, bit by bit.
“Part of me is grateful I learned that lesson. Part of me resents you for it. Full stop. There are days I wonder what life would feel like without you.”
Nick confessed that while growing up he often didn’t feel as if he “belonged” but he found a community among other diabetes sufferers.
He wrote: “I always struggled to feel like I belonged anywhere. At school, I felt misunderstood. In most circles, for that matter. Through my childhood and youth, that was the theme.
“It wasn’t until I started talking openly about life with type 1, and meeting other people who were living it too, that I finally felt like I belonged somewhere.”
The singer added that he hopes sharing his story for Dexcom’s A Letter to Diabetes campaign will bring comfort to other youngsters who feel as if they are facing an uncertain future.
He concluded: “I share my story for the 13-year-old who just got diagnosed and is lying in a hospital bed, scared to death.
“I want them to be able to look up and see someone out there living their dreams while managing all of this, every single day.
“So thank you, old friend, for the lessons I never asked for. I’m going to keep sharing my story and telling the truth, so someone out there feels a little less alone.”
Nick Jonas ‘resents’ diabetes
