Nick Jonas calls diabetes his ‘old friend’ in open letter marking 21 years since diagnosis
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nick Jonas is reflecting on his long journey with type 1 diabetes. More than two decades after being diagnosed, the Jonas Brothers singer has shared a personal letter about his complicated relationship with the condition.
Jonas, who was diagnosed in November 2005 at the age of 13, wrote the letter as part of Dexcom’s 'A Letter to Diabetes' initiative. In the letter, he addressed the condition as his "old friend."
Nick Jonas reflects on 21 years with diabetes
The singer also spoke about how his diagnosis changed the way he viewed control over his life, sharing that the experience had taught him valuable lessons.
“How long has it been? 21 years. 21 years, and you haven’t changed a bit,” he wrote. He also spoke about regularly checking his blood sugar levels and using his insulin pump before meals to help manage his condition.
“I’d built my whole life around this unrealistic structure and belief that I was in control,” Jonas wrote. “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.”
"It's funny how often we talk,” he continued. “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 singer continued.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
He also acknowledged that there were days when he wondered what his life would be like without the condition.
Nick Jonas finds community through diabetes journey
For Nick Jonas, living with type 1 diabetes has also brought an unexpected sense of community.
The two-time Grammy nominee said he often struggled to feel accepted while growing up and felt misunderstood at school and in other social circles.
“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,” he explained.
“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,” he explained.
Concluding his letter, Nick Jonas once again addressed diabetes as his “old friend” and thanked it for the lessons he had learned along the way. “So thank you, old friend, for the lessons I never asked for."
