5 Celebrities Living with Type 1 Diabetes Share the Lessons They’ve Learned

Here are five celebrities with type 1 diabetes and what they’ve learned about living with the condition.

Nick Jonas

Actor, singer, and member of the Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, was diagnosed at age 13 after experiencing frequent urination, excessive thirst, exhaustion, and unexplained weight loss.

Jonas has learned he has to be transparent about his condition and his needs, especially given his demanding work schedule.

“There are times where you just can’t help that it interrupts and inconveniences your life, in a way that I think, if someone is a part of your world or is going to be a part of your world, then it’s good to be open about it,” he told the nonprofit he cofounded, Beyond Type 1.

Jonas is passionate about creating a supportive community for those with type 1 diabetes because of the loneliness he felt after his diagnosis.

He’s also shared his advice for others living with this condition: “Chasing perfection with type 1 diabetes is impossible. There’s so much that’s out of your hands and finding a way to remain calm and patient in moments where diabetes interrupts your life is the key,” said Jonas.

Noah Gray

Noah Gray, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 18 and a freshman in college.

Now in his fourth season with the Chiefs, Gray has learned that a consistent routine is essential to managing his condition. He told NFL.com that he eats the same meal at the exact same time before games and checks his blood sugar when he’s in the locker room.

Carefully managing his type 1 diabetes is key to continuing to live his dream as a pro football player. “Me being able to play football at a high level is really dependent on me making sure that my body feels good blood sugar-wise to go out there. Working hard at managing it and taking that seriously is very, very important,” Gray told NFL.com.

He also mentors young kids who’ve been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Jean Smart

Actor Jean Smart, known for Hacks, Mare of Easttown, and Designing Women, has been living with diabetes since she was 13.

In a testimony to Congress advocating for diabetes research, Smart recalled what it was like at the time of her diagnosis in 1964: She had to assess her blood sugar with often inaccurate urine tests, sterilize long needles and inject herself with insulin, and was told to consider not having children. (Today, she has two children.)

Smart has navigated type 1 diabetes during pregnancy, while being an actor, and while dealing with other health issues. Through it all, she’s learned just how important it is to listen to your body and to advocate for your health.

While she acknowledges the progress that’s been made in management of the condition, she told Congress, “What I really pray for is that the next generation of young, beautiful children like these will never know the uncertainty and fears of being diabetic or the physical toll it takes on their bodies.”

Sonia Sotomayor

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the first person with type 1 diabetes to be on the country’s highest court. “In 1962, when I was first diagnosed, the treatment of juvenile diabetes was primitive by today’s standards, and life expectancy was much shorter,” shared Sotomayor in her autobiography, My Beloved World.

Sotomayer says she learned early on to see time as precious. During her early life, people weren’t as open about having a health condition. She has since learned to be open and honest with those around her in order to create a support system and to be true to herself.

“As I grew older, I realized that my diabetes is integral to who I am. It's taught me so much about discipline, about moderation, about things that most people should do themselves without diabetes: how to eat sensibly, how to exercise, how to watch yourself when you're sick,” Sotomayor told Diane Rehm.

Sotomayor’s children’s book Just Ask is about embracing differences. It encourages curiosity and openness when it comes to noticing differences in others.

Este Haim

Este Haim is one of the three sisters that make up the rock band, Haim. In an interview with Beyond Type 1, she expressed how lucky she feels to have a support system in her sisters.

When her rockstar lifestyle gets in the way of caring for her body, her sisters are the first ones to help her find the food she needs and encourage movement, she said.

Haim’s learned that managing her condition means caring for her physical and mental health. She told Beyond Type 1 that she’s experienced multiple episodes of diabetic burnout, the mental exhaustion of having to manage type 1 diabetes.

Her advice: Tell your support system how much you appreciate them. Also, “enjoy every day as much as you possibly can, and don’t let diabetes get in the way of you doing and achieving everything that you want to do.”