Nick Jonas is thanking his family for saving his life by noticing his signs of diabetes when he was a teenager.
The “Chains” singer, 31, shared a message alongside his mother via Instagram on Monday, November 13, recalling how he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 18 years ago.
“I was lucky enough to have this incredible support system around me that noticed these signs, helped me make the decision to get checked and ultimately saved my life,” the Jonas Brothers member wrote.
He listed four symptoms that could be signs of the illness: frequent urination, excessive thirst, exhaustion and unexplained weight loss.
“My family, especially my Mom @mamadjonas, noticed a change in me & saw the four major signs that we now know are symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes,” he continued.
Nick’s mom, Denise Jonas, commented in a video about discovering her son was suffering from the disease when he was 13 years old.
“Nick was very enthusiastic as a child,” Denise, 57, said. “He was very driven, so when he started to exhibit these signs, I was alarmed, but I think I was in denial.”
Nick and his wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, became parents when daughter Malti, now 21 months, was born in January 2022 via surrogate. Now that Nick has a child of his own, he is dedicated to making sure she is healthy.
“As a new father myself,” he wrote, “I understand how important it is to be on the lookout for these signs as my daughter grows up.”
The actor has partnered with the nonprofit organization Beyond Type 1 to bring more attention to diabetes.
“We are expanding our #SeeTheSigns message not only to the individuals who are being diagnosed but to those around them,” Nick’s Instagram post continued. “Participate in our #SeeTheSigns campaign and join me in raising awareness about these often-missed symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and help save lives.”
Nick added in his video, “So whether you’re a parent or a parental figure in someone’s life or just a big brother or sister, whatever your relationship is, be on the lookout, see those signs, go get checked.”
In November 2021, Nick opened up to People about how it took time for him to cope with being diabetic.
“I had this kind of wrench thrown into things when I was diagnosed, and it took a while to figure out how to count carbs to properly dose for insulin and what things would affect me in different ways,” 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.”
Nick and his siblings Kevin Jonas and Joe Jonas are currently headlining their Five Albums. One Night. tour, which kicked off August 12 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It wraps up back in NYC on December 9 at Barclays Center. The international leg of the tour begins February 27, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand, and runs through June 20 in Belfast, Ireland.
