Famous Fridays: Nicole Johnson

Nicole Johnson is this week’s famous Type 1.  She and I only have one thing outside of diabetes in common and that my friends, is that both of us have ran in beauty pageants. Of course, she went much further with her pageant career than I did becoming Miss America and all, but I feel that now if I were to meet her in public we could have a great conversation.

Nicole Johnson was diagnosed with type 1 when she was 19 years old. At the time doctors kept telling her that her diabetes would keep her from doing things in life. Luckily, she chose not to take her doctors advice and continue to do the things she loves. She was crowned Miss America in 1999 while wearing her insulin pump.  And she is now an advocate for both types of diabetes. Most of you are not aware of how expensive it is to have diabetes. Thankfully, we have people like Nicole working with State Legislators on how we can make health care costs for those with diabetes less than they currently are.

In 2005 she became an anchor for the TV show the dlife. On the show they talk about living with diabetes, preventing it (for those who are at risk for Type 2), and managing it. She has also written three diabetes cookbooks and one autobiography about life as a diabetic. Oh, and one more thing this women has recently done for the diabetic community. She has helped raised 16 million dollars to put towards the cause. I don’ t know if there is anything this woman can’t do.

I’m glad that she didn’t let her diagnosis of diabetes keep her down. I know sometimes we think that women in pageants are nothing more than just a pretty face, but that is not the case with this woman. With her crown she has had doors opened to her that other have not and has really been able to make a difference in the diabetes world.