Teen Pop Sensation Shares Personal Story to Inspire Others to Achieve Their 'Simple Wins' TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Aug. 6
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nick Jonas, the youngest
member of the Jonas Brothers established his role as a diabetes ambassador by
launching a new partnership with Bayer Diabetes Care to provide young people
and their families with the motivation and support they need to help simplify
life with diabetes.
At a press conference today in New York City, Nick and Bayer kicked off
their long-term partnership, with Bayer making an initial large donation to
the Change for the Children Foundation to support Nick's goal of helping
children with diabetes. The Foundation is a Jonas Brothers organization that
provides support to programs that motivate and inspire children to face
adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. The
partnership will provide resources and information over the next few years
specifically designed for young people with diabetes to help them simplify
their lives and successfully manage their disease.
Nick, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 13, is passionate about
sharing his personal story because he knows so many young people like him can
feel alone and even embarrassed by the disease. It's important to Nick to take
what he's learned and what works for him and pass it along to others who may
be feeling the same way.
"Nearly every day I hear from someone like me who says that I make them
feel it's OK to have diabetes and that's really cool that I can do that," said
Nick Jonas. "I know I'm lucky because I have a family that encourages me a
lot. I want to give that same inspiration to other kids with diabetes, and
working with Bayer lets me do that."
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 and have a positive outlook.
"Nick is a deeply passionate role model for young people with diabetes and
their families, and Bayer shares in his dedication," said Sandra Peterson,
President of Bayer Diabetes Care. "Bayer believes Nick can play a significant
role in encouraging all people with diabetes, no matter how young or old, to
be proactive in managing their diabetes to live their lives to the fullest."
Through the partnership, young people with diabetes and their families can
log on to www.NicksSimpleWins.com, where they can check out more about Nick's
personal experiences. Nick will be blogging about his latest activities,
giving updates on chances to meet him in person and sharing ideas on how to
achieve Simple Wins. Also available to download is "A Little Bit Longer," a
new single released yesterday and the title track to the Jonas Brothers'
upcoming album. Nick wrote this song when he was having a particularly hard
day managing his diabetes and feels supported when his fans sing along to the
lyrics.
"I'm so proud of Nick's incredibly positive attitude and his sense of
responsibility to give back to other people with diabetes," said Nick's mom,
Denise Jonas. She plans to be involved in the program, working with her family
to help provide information and encouragement to other families living with
diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease where the body doesn't produce or properly use
insulin. Insulin is the hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food
into the energy needed to live. According to the Centers for Disease Control,
diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the
United States. About 150,000 young people under 18 years of age have diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in
children and young adults. With type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no
insulin, which may result in many complications if glucose levels are not
controlled.
Nick uses the new Bayer CONTOUR(R) meter to test how much glucose or sugar
is in his blood so he can determine how much insulin he needs as well as to
see how his treatment regimen is working. It's the first thing he learned
about managing his condition. CONTOUR Colors meters will be available soon in
Green Apple, Royal Purple and Graphite Gray -- to fit everyone's individual
style.
"I check my blood sugar level up to 12 times a day so it's very important
that my meter fits with my lifestyle," said Nick. "My new Bayer CONTOUR meter
lets me personalize the settings when I need to test myself before a meal or
reminding me to check after a meal, for example, depending on my schedule on a
specific day."
About Change for the Children Foundation
The Change for the Children Foundation is a Jonas Brothers organization
that provides support to programs that motivate and inspire children to face
adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. The Jonas
Brothers believe that the best people to help children are their peers, and
the foundation provides opportunities for kids to help other kids who are a
little less fortunate.
"YOU Decide. YOU Donate." is a current initiative of The Change for the
Children Foundation. The Jonas Brothers have selected five charities and are
calling on kids to decide which one to support.
D-Vision is Nick Jonas' part of the Change for the Children Foundation.
Its goal is to support people with diabetes and help raise money and awareness
to research a cure. www.changeforthechildren.org
Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care
Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care is a worldwide leader in diabetes,
supporting customers in 100 countries. Since the introduction of CLINITEST(R)
reagent tablets in 1941, Bayer has led the way in diabetes care product
innovation. The company changed the face of diabetes care in 1969 when it
introduced the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips. Bayer
HealthCare further innovated diabetes management by being the first company to
introduce a suite of blood glucose monitors with No Coding(TM) technology.
The BREEZE(R)2 and CONTOUR(R) blood glucose monitoring systems offer people
with diabetes an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems. The
Arthritis Foundation in the United States and the Arthritis Society of Canada
each granted Ease-of Use Commendation to the BREEZE(R)2 meter. BREEZE(R)
represents the first time a blood glucose meter has been recognized as easy to
use for arthritis sufferers.
In July 2006, Bayer Diabetes Care acquired Metrika Inc., maker and
manufacturer of A1CNow+, a meter-based diabetes monitoring system for
measurement of A1C (glycated hemoglobin) an important indicator of long term
blood sugar control. Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care global headquarters is
located in Tarrytown, New York, in the United States and operates as part of
Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group.
www.bayerdiabetes.com/us
Bayer HealthCare
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading,
innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is
based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of
the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions.
The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG.
Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will
improve human and animal health worldwide.
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These
factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including
our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these
forward-looking statements or to inform them to future events or developments.
SOURCE Bayer Diabetes Care
