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