As someone with diabetes (type 1 to be exact), few people have been as influential in my coping with the disease as Nick Jonas (from afar, of course). I was a fan before my type 1 diabetes diagnosis (read more on that here), so when I finally found out about my chronic illness, I found solace in the fact that there were people thriving in spite of the disease.
The singer (hello Jonas Brothers!), songwriter, and co-founder of the nonprofit Beyond Type 1 has been open about living life with diabetes since before “A Little Bit Longer,” (a song about his diagnosis) debuted in 2008. Now, some 15 years later (nearly 18 since his diagnosis), the 31-year-old is taking the time out of his touring schedule to sit down with Prevention. We discussed the signs and symptoms of type 1, managing the ups and downs of the disease, and parenting with a chronic illness.
About 11% of the US population has a type of diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and about 5-10% of those have type 1. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce enough (or any) insulin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And it’s an expensive disease. To put things into perspective, the list price of one vial of insulin in 2023 is upwards of $300—and that’s just for the life-saving medication. Many people with diabetes use multiple vials a month. This price per vial doesn’t include the long list of supplies that accompany a type 1 diabetes diagnosis (CGMs, glucometers, blood test strips, insulin pumps, syringes, or pen needles).
When Jonas was diagnosed, he wasn’t the household name he is today. “I was on tour with my brothers at the time; it was kind of early days of our career. We were doing a school tour—an anti-drug school tour—so basically we would pull into school auditoriums in the Northeast, and we would pull in a 15-20 minute set with our very loud pop-punk music, and I started experiencing all of the symptoms,” he says, “frequent urination, loss of appetite, losing weight unexpectedly.”
He says he knew something was “wrong,” but at the time didn’t know much about diabetes. “There certainly wasn’t a person living a kind of public life that was advocating for it. I didn’t really know what was going on,” he says. “So finally I went and saw the doctor. Obviously, my glucose was through the roof. I went to the hospital for a few days and learned about my new life. [I] went out and played a show the day after I got out. Which I think was more me telling myself that I wouldn’t let this slow me down than needing to keep that show on. But that was sort of my attitude about the whole thing.”
Though there is still no cure for any type of diabetes, over the last 17-plus years with the chronic illness, the changes in medicine and technology have been wild to watch, he says. “It’s been insane to see how far the tech has come. And how improved my A1Cs (a test that depicts a three-month blood sugar average) have been because of that. I think the awareness piece of the puzzle is really important and has helped amplify messaging around the disease that, as I mentioned, I didn’t know much about at all.”
Now, thanks in part to social media, the diabetes community feels bigger than ever. “It’s such a bigger, more robust community than just me and what I’ve spoken about,” Jonas admits. “And I think those stories are so important and really help frame an ongoing and important conversation around not just technology and medicines, but access and affordability for these things as well.”
“The work I’ve done with Beyond Type 1 has been an exciting start to that and partnering with a bunch of different organizations that are doing all the right stuff—that’s from a policy perspective but also from messaging and everything else,” he says. “And partnering with Dexcom has been rewarding in that sense.” (The star teamed up with Dexcom, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) company, to show the world that diabetes affects people from all walks of life, through the company’s latest campaign #SeeDiabetes.)
Ahead, get a peek at Nick’s life with type 1, including how he handles his blood sugars on tour, what it’s like being a husband and father while managing a chronic illness, and how he’s learned to stay in tune with his body.
What’s your favorite snack to bring up blood sugars when low?
“I’ve got two: Dole pineapple juice gets the job done pretty quickly. Then when I’m on stage and I’ve got something active, ya know the classic fruit snacks, Welch’s fruit snacks.”
Can you feel a low blood sugar after 17 years with the disease?
“I can feel [low blood sugar] pretty much right away…I remember jumping on a trampoline as a kid pre-diagnosis and feeling what it feels like to be low then, and now relating it to ‘Oh that’s what that was.’ So ya, I feel it pretty much the minute I hit 71 mg/dL or 72 mg/dL, and I’m like ‘ok it’s happening.’”
How do you handle lows during concerts?
“Everybody on our touring team is aware of the fact that I’m living with diabetes—but also aware of what to do in those situations. I’ve got a little section on stage complete with my juice and my fruit snacks. There’s a setup under the stage with everything I need. God forbid I ever get really bad, my head of security has glucagon (an emergency glucose injection) on him just in case.”
Have your brothers learned to spot a low blood sugar?
“Kevin and Joe can kind of tell. They can tell when my glucose is high because obviously, I’m a bit more irritable. But now I just tell them. I’m like ‘Hey don’t bother me right now, my glucose is high, I’ll be fine in 10 minutes,’ then it’s all good.”
Dexcom has a share component, where you allow people to see your blood sugar numbers via an app. Who do you share yours with, if anyone?
“I share with my wife,” he says. “When we go on trips and things like that, when I’m away from my wife, then I’ll share with one of my brothers just in case. You never know, it’s just better to be safe.”
“It’s a big step. It’s like going Instagram official but even more,” he jokes.
What’s something you’d want your wife to know about living life with type 1?
“I think it was important early in our relationship to set the stage with what it feels like. For a person not living with the disease, it’s hard to explain what it feels like from a physical perspective but also an emotional perspective. And that’s when I mentioned before alerting my brothers when my glucose is high. I do the same with her. It just helps avoid unnecessary speed bumps. She’s been an absolutely incredible partner, not just with the management of the disease—she’s fully educated on what to do in any scenario—but also as a parent now. I think your focus and kind of attention to detail on your health clicks into a different gear because you’re now not just living for yourself, you’re living to be there and share as many memories and be as present as you can be with this little angel. So I think just pushing to live the healthiest and happiest life and diabetes as a part of that is super important.”
You’re a parent now (Congrats!). How is managing type 1 as a father?
“There were days early in our daughter being home where a low would hit me right as she needed a bottle or needed my attention for something and it was a very new thing to experience. And thinking through, one day, too, explaining it to her: Why daddy has to take a second, or whatever the thing is, was really not something I’d thought about. At that point, I’d been living with this disease for over half my life. These new experiences continue to pop up and creating and normalizing conversations around them is wonderful.”
We applaud Nick for having important conversations on diabetes, and we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next!
Deputy Editor
Emily Goldman is the deputy editor at Prevention. She’s spent her career editing and writing about health, wellness, beauty, fashion, and food for Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, Bridal Guide, Good Housekeeping, and more. She’s loved all things health and wellness since starting her bi-weekly podcast Pancreas Pals—a series all about the highs and lows of living life with type 1 diabetes. When not podcasting, she spends most of her time curled up with a good book or watching a period piece on BBC.
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