Nick Jones of the Jonas Brothers helps raise money for diabetes

Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers has lent his star power to the Washington Nationals to raise awareness of diabetes and support the creation of a new Pediatric Diabetes Care Complex at Children’s National Medical Center in the nation’s capital. In a new PSA aired at the Washington Nationals game July 5, 16-year-old Jonas, who has Type 1 diabetes, encouraged fans to “text to give” to support children with diabetes. For each person who texts the word “NATS” to 90999, a $5 donation to Children’s National Medical Center is billed to the donor’s phone bill. The PSA appears on the Children’s National website at http://tinyurl.com/jonas-text.

Approximately 20 million Americans, including a growing number of children, have been diagnosed with diabetes. Children with diabetes, if it is not managed appropriately, are at risk of developing serious health complications, such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, stroke, and loss of circulation resulting in amputation of limbs. There is no cure for diabetes; it is a 24-hour-a-day disease requiring intervention, monitoring, and balancing food choices to maintain a child’s health.

The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation has committed $2 million toward the new Pediatric Diabetes Care Complex at Children’s National, and all text donations will help reach the $5 million needed for the complex.