Nick Jonas has had a lot of ups and downs throughout his life, but it turns out one of the most frightening experiences came when he was only a teenager.
The singer has never shied away from talking about his battle with Type I diabetes, but it's not until recently that he's really opened up about how bad the situation actually was.
Sitting down for an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Jonas -- who, at 27, is the youngest celeb to ever appear on the magazine's cover holding a cigar -- said that, before he was diagnosed at age 13, he came very close to some potentially deadly health complications.
"I was very close to a coma," Jonas revealed. "Like a day away, if I hadn’t gone to the hospital."
According to an interview the singer did with People in 2007, a year after being diagnosed, his family knew something was wrong when he suddenly began indicating all the tell-tale signs of being diabetic.
He unintentionally lost a dramatic amount of weight, shedding nearly 15 pounds in around two weeks, and he was constantly craving and consuming copious amounts of water and soda, dozens of bottles a day.
When his family took him to a doctor to see what was wrong, his blood sugar levels were over 700 -- far more than the 70-120 range that is expected of people with healthy insulin levels. As a Type I diabetic, Jonas' body had entirely stopped producing insulin, and he came very close to suffering some major physical side-effects.
"I kept asking my parents, 'Am I going to be OK?'" Jonas recalled to Cigar Aficionado. While he required insulin shots to regulate his blood sugar -- and later switched to an insulin pump -- the singer managed to get a hold on his condition, and shortly thereafter opened up to his fans about his struggles.
He's made sure not to let his medical situation keep him from striving to dream big and explore many creative endeavors. Apart from his solo career, and the well-received Jonas Brothers comeback earlier this year, the star has also explored acting.
"I love acting because it's something that I feel keeps me on my toes," he explained. "I’m never in a spot where I’m totally comfortable, which I like."
"I get on a set, and there’s so many moving parts. You have to be on your game, but you have to be willing to adapt," he added. "I feel like I’m continuing to grow in that world."
Jonas' issue of Cigar Aficionado is available now.
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