Nick Jonas

Everyone has a different definition of what they call a hero. To me, a hero means someone you can look up to and rely on in a time of need. I call Nick Jonas my hero because no matter what he does, he does not let any obstacles slow him down. Having diabetes has allowed him to be a role model for young kids living with diabetes. Even though I do not have diabetes myself, listening to his music and being able to relate to his lyrics helps get me through my bad days. On days when I feel my lowest listening to his music helps me cope.

Nick Jonas was born on September 16th, 1992 in Dallas, Texas. As a child, Nick's dream was to have a career in music. At a young age he would perform shows to his family saying, "I have to practice, I'm going to be on Broadway." At the age of 7 Nick began landing roles in Broadway musicals like Beauty and The Beast, Les Miserables, and Annie Get Your Gun. After performing on Broadway, Nick was discovered by Columbia Records and began writing songs with his dad and recording his first solo cd. Although his solo project was unreleased, his songs were played on Top 40 Christian radio stations for quite some time. After little success, Columbia heard Nick and his brothers perform together. Soon after, The Jonas Brothers were signed as a group project. Their first cd titled, "It's About Time" was not as great of a success as they had thought it would be. After being discovered by Disney, they were offered a recording contract with Hollywood Records, and right away got started on their self titled cd. It was released to the public on August 7th, 2007, and by December 20th, 2007, their self titled record had gone platinum.

Unfortunately, after all their success, there was still a secret behind the smile on Nick's face. It shocked the world and his fans. Nick was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (also known as Juvenile Diabetes) in November of 2005, at only 13 years old. Nick began to notice he was losing a lot of weight, drinking excessive amounts of water, and having frequent trips to the bathroom. His family began to see changes in his attitude as well. He didn't know it, but these were all symptoms of diabetes. Nick did not share his disease with the world until 2007. While in Canada filming Camp Rock, Nick was having one of those days where his blood sugar was out of control. He wrote the song "A Little Bit Longer," which is about his diabetes. This song is probably one of my favorite Jonas Brothers songs because whenever I am feeling down, I can listen to this song and know that someone out there is going through something, too, and is there for me. "A Little Bit Longer" is a song anyone can relate to, whether they have diabetes or not.

In the beginning Nick would find himself saying, "Why me?", but after a while he began to say, "Why not me?" He used his diabetes as a way to help and inspire other kids living with the disease. Nick has teamed up with Bayer Health Care to create more awareness of the disease. The website nickssimplewins.com is a webpage designed for children and parents living with diabetes. Nick and his brothers have also paired up with Change for The Children Foundation, where they sell Nick Jonas medical tags. All the proceeds from the necklaces go towards their charity and diabetes research.

Most people, when they think of Nick Jonas, see this huge TV star or a heart throb. Not me. I think of him as my hero because in everything he does, he puts others before himself. To me, THAT is a hero. From the minute I heard one of his songs for the first time, I was hooked. His peaceful and meaningful lyrics are what get me through the rough patches in life. Nick Jonas is my hero.