Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers, knows first hand that being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is life changing. He also knows, however, that a diabetes diagnosis does not necessarily need to be life restricting. Through carefully monitoring his diet, exercise and blood sugar levels, Nick has been able to simplify life with diabetes while also achieving his dreams.

Nick, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 13, is passionate about sharing his personal experiences with diabetes because he knows so many young people, like him, can feel alone when diagnosed with the disease. As one way of sharing his story, Nick has teamed up with Bayer Diabetes Care to provide young people and their families with the motivation and support they need to help simplify life with diabetes. Bayer and Nick share a common goal of helping people with diabetes simplify their lives by achieving “Simple Wins:” small, everyday victories for managing the disease that can lead to big differences over time. For Nick, a Simple Win is about making other kids with diabetes feel like they can live their dreams.

As part of their latest effort, Nick and Bayer have created limited edition dog tags – modeled after the one Nick wears – to be worn as a symbol of hope and solidarity to unite anyone whose life is touched by diabetes. Two versions of the dog tags are available: one for people who would like to support the cause and another specifically as a medical alert in case of emergency for people with diabetes. Both dog tags feature a lyric from “A Little Bit Longer,” the song Nick wrote about his diabetes.

The dog tags can be purchased at NicksSimpleWins.com, and a portion of the proceeds from each sale will benefit the Jonas Brothers’ Change for the Children Foundation, which provides support to programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed.

Nick hopes that sharing his story will raise awareness for the disease among all kids and teens, and he is passionate about helping kids like him with diabetes find ways to manage the disease so they can make their own dreams come true.

For Nick, the following four steps are crucial in helping maintain control of his disease:

* Staying educated. Knowing all you can about your diabetes will help you manage it properly. It is important to read, talk with your family and ask questions. Education empowers a young person struggling with the disease to feel more comfortable with the disease’s daily challenges. People with diabetes are unable to produce or properly use insulin in their bodies. Insulin is the hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into the energy needed to live. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 150,000 people younger than 18 have diabetes.

* Carefully monitoring his blood sugar levels. Nick uses the Bayer Contour meter to test how much glucose or sugar is in his blood so he can determine how much insulin he needs and how his treatment regimen is working.

* Careful monitoring of his insulin dosage to make sure that it is adjusted according to his blood sugar levels.

* Careful monitoring of his diet and exercise regimen. Nick is mindful of making healthy food choices – particularly with carbohydrates – and he makes sure to balance his food intake with his daily activity and insulin levels. Nick also makes sure to exercise, which helps the body use sugars from food more efficiently, and it helps the body respond to insulin better (whether it is insulin made by the body or injected into the body). In fact, exercise is healthy for everyone, even if they don’t have diabetes. – Courtesy of ARAcontent.


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