Jennifer Stone Opens Up About Her Diabetes Diagnosis

The “Wizards of Waverly Place” wants to share her story to help others.

You may know Jennifer Stone best from her role as Harper on Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” But did you know that she has also been living with Type 1 diabetes since she was 20 years old in 2013? In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month this November, Jennifer is sharing her own diagnosis story in the hopes of helping and inspiring others.

The actress has teamed up with an organization called Beyond Type 1, co-founded by Nick Jonas, which is all about advocacy and education for issues surrounding diabetes.  “I want to make my fellow T1Ds feel like we can all have the life we want for ourselves, despite our diagnosis,” she said about her involvement with the group. “I want to make this world more receptive for everyone living with diabetes!”

In a new interview, Jennifer explained that around age 20, she was faced with sudden weight gain and blurry vision, which ended up being symptoms of the autoimmune disorder, T1. At around the same time, she decided to leave acting for a brief time, and study nursing in college. But now, she wants to use her platform to talk about health.

“I think after a few years, I felt like I found a balance and came to healthy place with it [Type 1] — I am now ready to inspire other people and help make this world a more receptive place for this disease,” Jennifer shared. “I think there’s a lot of power in being able to stand up with each other.”

Amidst all the changes in her life, Jennifer still says she relates to her iconic character Harper the best.

“Harper had a tough background and her life wasn’t perfect. She went to the beat of her own drum though,” she shared. “She may have talked funny or had been socially awkward, but it gets to the point when you don’t care. And you’re proud to just be yourself.”

We’re so proud of Jennifer for opening up about her health so publicly!

Another one of our favorite actresses, Brec Bassinger, also recently spoke out about her own diabetes diagnosis. You can view her story below.

Written by Kristine Hope Kowalski