Nick Jonas wants to be a role model to people with diabetes.
Nick Jonas at the Billboard Music Awards
The Jonas Brothers star was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 13, and has recalled being “scared to death” when he was in hospital having tests to determine what was wrong with him.
And Nick has vowed to be a role model for other young people receiving the same diagnosis as him, because he thinks it would have been “amazing” if he had someone to look up to when he was younger.
He said: "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.
“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.’ ”
The 29-year-old star also said he didn’t realise at first how unpredictable his diabetes could be, and has had to learn not to put too much pressure on himself when things don’t go to plan.
He added: "I am a perfectionist and definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to do the best I can always and that includes, you know, my life with diabetes. But also, I understand that a lot of things are out of my control and keeps me on my toes all the time.
“I knew that there will be good days and bad days, but I didn't know that sometimes, especially as you get older — going from being a 13 year old to now 29 — there are ways to take the pressure off."
And Nick is particularly focused on advocating for the “mental and emotional health aspect” of diabetes.
The ‘Sucker’ hitmaker – who is married to Priyanka Chopra Jonas – told People magazine: "I think that mental and emotional health aspect of it is really important. I certainly speak to my therapist ... and luckily, I've got a really good support system around me and a great set of doctors.
“What needs awareness is the mental and emotional impacts that it has not only just on the individual that's affected by the disease, but also by the friends and family and loved ones.
“I think speaking to that and building programs, whether it's reading materials or other ways in which we can shed some light on that … that's something I'm incredibly passionate about.”
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