Good morning. My name is Nick Jonas, and I’d like to thank you for having me here today. I’d like to share my story of living with type 1 diabetes, and talk about the need to fund research to find a cure.
First, I would like to thank you, Senator Collins, for chairing this hearing and for being such a champion for all of us with diabetes. Everyone here today for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Children’s Congress is grateful for your leadership on the Senate Diabetes Caucus and your commitment to people with type 1 diabetes. We are lucky to have you pushing for policies that will bring us closer to a cure.
In one way, or another I have spent most of my life performing. I’ve been writing songs since I can remember, and I love sharing my passion for music. As a little kid, I sang in the choir in my dad’s church, and then performed on Broadway. As the Jonas Brothers, my brothers Joe, Kevin and I have written songs, made albums and toured the country, playing our music for people all over America.
It was during a concert tour in 2005 that I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My brothers were the first to notice that I had lost a lot of weight – fifteen pounds in two weeks. I was thirsty all the time and had a bad attitude, which isn’t like me at all because I’m a really positive person. It would have been easy to blame my symptoms on a hectic schedule. But my family knew I had to get to a doctor.
The normal range for blood sugar is between 70 and 120. When we got to the doctor’s office, we learned that my blood sugar was over 700. The doctor said I had type 1 diabetes, but I had no idea what that meant. The first thing I asked her was, “Am I going to die?” She assured me that I wasn’t going to die, but that I’d have to manage this disease for the rest of my life. We went right to the hospital where I spent three days, including a crash course in getting my blood glucose levels in control and living with diabetes.
It hasn’t been easy, but diabetes technology has really helped me to manage my diabetes. At first, I took insulin shots, but it was just too hard on the road to give myself shots. I switched to a pump, which has been great. Since then, my average blood glucose levels have come down, and I’m able to use the pump to better estimate how much insulin I need based on the carbs I eat. I am also considering a continuous glucose monitor, but for now, I still prick my finger to check my blood sugar. I do that up to 12 times a day, including right before I began this testimony.
While technology has made it much easier for me to manage my diabetes, technology is not a cure. Insulin is not a cure. Like everyone here today, I know that the promise of a cure lies only in research. I am grateful that Congress renewed the Special Diabetes Program last year, which has helped researchers make important discoveries into what causes type 1 diabetes. This vital program has also funded research to test new drugs and therapies that could treat or cure patients with type 1 diabetes, and may even lead to an artificial pancreas one day. I ask that each of you join me in supporting the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program next year so that the researchers can continue their work on a cure for our disease. My life depends on it. All our lives depend on it.
After I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I wrote a song called A Little Bit Longer about dealing with diabetes. I’d like to submit a copy of the full song for the record, but I’d like to read one of the verses, which explains my outlook on life with diabetes.
All this time goes by
Still no reason why
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine
Waitin’ on a cure
But none of them are sure
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine
Diabetes has changed my life. But I know that I’ve benefited from the government’s investment in diabetes research. With the help of Congress, I’ll only have to wait a little bit longer for a cure.
In the meantime, I’ve decided not to let diabetes slow me down. In just the last two months, my brothers and I launched a new TV show, released our third album and began a world concert tour. My approach to managing diabetes is to focus on simple wins -- little things I can do each day to achieve my goals. Over time, these everyday victories can make a big difference in your life -- just like every research advancement moves us along on our path to a cure. While on that path, I want to be a positive face for diabetes. I want to show kids with type 1 diabetes – like all the kids sitting with me today – that they can live with diabetes and still make their dreams come true.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, and thank you for your commitment to diabetes research. With your help, a little bit longer and we will all be fine.