At first when I read this question the first celebrity that came to my mind was Will Smith. He has ALWAYS been my favorite celebrity and I have been watching him since I was little. I even have a collection of all his movies that I keep separate from the rest. I cannot even explain to someone how or why I enjoy watching him so much. I look up to him because he is a great role model, he is involved in so many charities, and he is raising his kids to be like that too, and not let fame get to his head. He is hilarious and I admire him so much. However, he has had no impact on my family or me. Sure, I guess he has impacted me because of how much I admire him, but his charities do not touch my family or me from a day-to-day basis. However when I read the part of the question about symbolism and extraordinary about the celebrity I would chose, I thought of Nick Jonas. That is a weird answer coming form me because I really never cared for his music, or his acting skills (or lack there of), however there is reason to admire him. Nick Jonas has type 1 diabetes. This means that he is insulin dependent and at a young age, he got very sick. After being diagnosed with diabetes, this did not stop him. He got healthier then performed at a diabetes fundraiser. During this time he has asked the audience who had diabetes, then he raised his hand too, revealing to the public his illness. I found a quote that I admire about him that reads: "I had an emotional breakdown since I really had no idea what diabetes was all about. I wondered, 'why me?' Then I asked myself, 'why not me?' and realized that I might be able to help other kids with diabetes." This is why I admire him; he took his illness, and used it to help other kids that already admired him so much. He was an inspiration to all those children with diabetes.
Now at first, although admirable, I never thought much of him for doing so. It was not until this previous summer that I thought about him. My little cousin who is nine years got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Her family and mine have been the closest, she and her sister are like sisters to me. She was hospitalized for a few days before it was official. I saw firsthand what that did to my family and hers. I thought of it as unfair because she was just a kid and now she was not able to live a normal life, she cannot eat candy like her friends, or snack throughout the day, or eat most things that other kids can. She has to eat at certain times, and certain things, even certain portions. As if adjusting her diet was not enough, she has to take three insulin shots a day, all while pricking herself several times a day. I am deathly afraid of needles, and I cannot imagine going through that everyday, especially as a kid.
Even while this was happening, Nick Jonas did not pop into my mind. It was not until her older sister came to me and told me she wrote a letter to Nick. I had forgotten that he was diabetic and wondered why she would do that. Then she explained that he was an inspiration to kids with diabetes and that he took part in many fundraisers and ways to find a cure. Without realizing it, he is the face of juvenile diabetes, and I admire him for that.
Alex, I completely agree with everything you have said in this blog. Will Smith has been one of my favorite actors since I was young. I love that you said he is raising his children to be just like him, because it is so true. You see him and his little boy, Jaden, in Pursuit of Happiness relay a very powerful message. Also his daughter, Willow Smith, has come out with the song “Whip my hair.”
Although, I dislike the Jonas Brothers music, I completely agree with what you said about Nick Jonas. I went to a diabetes camp for several years, because my sister is a diabetic. Seeing what they have to go through every day just to survive is very hard to imagine. My sister cried for the first two years saying “Why me?” A lot of younger children must say this when they are diagnosed with such a disease. I remember one night when my sister did not eat a meal she had a reaction. Her blood sugar was to low for her function and she blacked out. She had no control over her body or actions. It is very hard to witness something like this.
I believe Nick is doing a very great thing for these children. I have never looked into his brothers and him, but just by reading your blog, it explained a lot. I agree with everything you said, and believe you explained it very well. You are a very good writer by the way.
Posted by: Erin Sullivan | 01/30/2011 at 03:57 PM