Nick Jonas almost fell into a coma before diabetes diagnosis: 'I was very scared'

He says he kept asking his parents 'am I going to be okay?'

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Tuesday 01 October 2019 12:20 EDT
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Nick Jonas reveals he almost went into a coma before diabetes diagnosis (Getty)
Nick Jonas reveals he almost went into a coma before diabetes diagnosis (Getty)

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Nick Jonas has revealed he almost fell into a coma before he was formally diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13.

The singer recalled the experience in a new interview with Cigar Aficionado, where he estimates that he was “ a day away” from being comatose.

“I was very close to a coma, like a day away, if I hadn’t gone to the hospital,” the 27-year-old said. “I kept asking my parents - am I going to be okay?”

Prior to the diagnosis, Jonas had begun displaying symptoms of diabetes. In addition to losing a considerable amount of weight, he had also developed a craving for sugary soda.

When he was first brought to the doctor, Jonas’ blood sugar levels were at 917 - nine times higher than normal.

“I was just so concerned that it was going to limit my ability to do all the things I wanted to do,” he recalled. “I was very scared - it’s a big life change.”

Fortunately, Jonas learned that the disease, which causes the level of glucose in your blood to become too high, wouldn’t negatively impact his life in the ways he feared.

“I found out very quickly it’s a very manageable disease,” he said. “As long as you’re really diligent.”

This isn’t the first time the Jonas Brothers singer, who uses an insulin pump, has opened up about his diagnosis, and the impact it has had on his life.

In September, Jonas explained in an interview with Insider how much his fans have helped him since he was diagnosed - as they have given him a support system.

“The fact that I get to be open and honest about this with my fans helps me actually feel like I’m not alone,” he said. “That's been something they've told me quite a bit, that just me sharing my story helped them feel like they were less alone, and that's the win.”

The singer’s experience with diabetes was also the inspiration for the 2008 Jonas Brothers song A Little Bit Longer.

At the time, Jonas said: “I had a day when my sugar was out of range, and I sat down at the piano and wrote it in 20 minutes.

“And it was because I had this strong inspiration. A lot of people have told me it's inspiring.”

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Type 1 diabetes is a chronic incurable condition that occurs when your body cannot produce enough insulin, according to the NHS. It is typically treated with daily injections of insulin.

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