By Stephanie Costantino
March 11, 2007 was an important day for fans of the popular teen sensations The Jonas Brothers, and all of the people who attended the Carnival For A Cure event in New York City. Carnival For A Cure was an event to help fund raise for diabetes research. At this event, The Jonas Brothers’ youngest member, Nick Jonas, revealed something very near and dear to his heart.
After the band performed their acoustic hit “Hello Beautiful,” Nick, 14, askied the people and kids in the room who had diabetes to raise their hands. After pausing to let those affected make themselves known, Nick raised his own hand, revealing that he too is a diabetic. Nick relayed a story to the audience of when he first noticed a year earlier that something was wrong.
“I started losing weight, I started drinking a lot of water all the time, and just had a really bad attitude. It wasn’t me,” he shared. “My parents brought me to the doctor, and I found out that I had diabetes.”
Nick explained to the audience, for those who weren’t familiar, about his symptoms, stating that his blood sugar was over 700, and “normal is anywhere between 70 and 120.” Nick added, “finding out was crazy, because I really had no idea what it was. The first thing I asked was ‘am I going to die?’ And the doctor said ‘no, you’ll be fine but you have to go to the hospital.”
Nick told the audience how he learned how to manage his diabetes while on tour, stating that he was checking his blood sugar 12 times a day by taking shots. “It was getting hard to do the shots and manage all that, but then I heard about this new product they were coming out with called the Omni Pod. The Omni Pod changed my life.” Nick began to tell the audience what the Omni Pod did, but paused to show the audience instead by taking off his jacket and revealing a small, pod-like patch attached to his bicep, earning some screams and cheers from fans in the room.
Elaborating on the Omni Pod, Nick said, “It’s just a little thing that I wear that controls my blood sugar and helps me stay at a rate so that I could be here for you today. Without it, I don’t know where I would be.
“My brothers were there for me the whole time, my parents, and all you guys were there, so thank you.” The crowd erupted into more cheers after being noted as part of Nick’s support system.
“The day I was diagnosed I decided I wasn’t going to let this slow me down. I know all of you guys out there that have diabetes, you all have your own stories of how when you’re down, how you’re able to manage it, and I’m so blessed to be able to share mine with you today.
“At the beginning, I was asking myself ‘Why me?’ and then I started asking ‘Why not me?’ I could be here today telling you guys that through all that I made it through, and I’m here today singing and having fun, and just to encourage you to keep it positive.
“So, when you’re disappointed and you’re like, ‘Why do I have diabetes? Why is this happening?’ Just remember that it’s always an opportunity for you to make someone smile.”
After closing his speech by thanking his fans and the Diabetes Research Institute, Nick cued the band to play one of their more upbeat and positive songs, “Time For Me To Fly.” Ending the speech on a positive note and progressing into an uplifting and high spirited song gave those in the audience who were living and struggling with diabetes the encouragement to not let it slow them down.
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