By Toni Fitzgerald
On the Netflix show Prince of Peoria, 15-year-old Gavin Lewis plays a young royal who travels to America incognito to experience life as a regular kid.
The show demands a lot of physical comedy from Lewis, like snapping wet towels and dancing. Eagle-eyed viewers of these scenes have noticed something they won’t see on Daredevil, Stranger Things or most other Netflix shows.
It’s a glimpse of Lewis’ Dexcom site. Lewis was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes[1] at age 6, and he has used his growing celebrity (next he stars in Hulu’s highly anticipated adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere) to raise awareness of the disease. He loves hearing from fans who have spotted the site or noticed his fingersticks.
Lewis recently spoke to Diabetes Self-Management about his diagnosis, how he manages his diabetes on-set, and resisting craft services.
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Lewis: My parents both do theater, so I saw what the acting process was. I auditioned for a film my mom’s friend was doing when I was about 9, and I loved it. I talked to the lead actor, and I asked how to get a manager in Los Angeles. And it snowballed from there.
Lewis: I didn’t understand what was happening. The nurse at the hospital was like, “You’re going to have to have a shot every time you eat now.” That was maybe not the best way to learn about it — but I got the gist of what was happening.
Lewis: That morning, I was drinking a lot of water and felt terrible. I was really, really pale. I also happened to have the worst breakfast for someone with type 1 diabetes[3], pancakes with syrup and Sunny D! They checked my blood sugar [at the hospital], and I maxed out at 1,000.
Lewis: I didn’t. Everything I learned was from my mom and doctors. I feel like I was a relatively easygoing kid, so I wasn’t too upset. I just realized it was something I’d have to incorporate into my life.
Lewis: I have a Dexcom G6[4] continuous glucose monitor (CGM)[5], which is a massive help on-set. I can just pull out my phone and check my blood sugar on the app. It doesn’t really get in the way of being on-set at all, unless I drop into the 40s or 50s. Then I’ll stop and have a juice.
I keep on top of changing my sites. I get everything out on time. If I leave the site in too long, it doesn’t go too well.
Lewis: Yeah, they have a set teacher, so I do it kind of sporadically throughout the day, depending on my filming schedule.
Lewis: My mom is a big part of helping me take care of myself. She gets up at night when my blood sugar drops or goes high. She reminds me to change my site. She makes sure I eat healthy[6].
I get overwhelming support from everyone on [Peoria]. They’re fantastic about staying on top of it, asking me if I’m doing all right.
Lewis: Yes, it can be. I’ve probably had one donut hole too many, but as long as I don’t spend too much time lingering around craft services, I do well.
Lewis: I’ve heard more than I would have expected. It’s been positive, people reaching out and saying they were inspired to see someone with type 1 on TV.
Lewis: Pretty shortly after I was diagnosed, I won a contest to meet Nick Jonas[7], who has type 1. He’s a big supporter of the diabetic community[8], and it’s a massive inspiration to see how well he’s done with his diabetes. He convinced me to try the pump and showed me how far he’s gotten with it.
Lewis: I’m an ambassador for them. My dream is to inspire people. They’ve had me do a few interviews they put on their website[10]. I want to give whatever information I can to make people feel better about the new diagnosis and show people who have had type 1 for a time can still do whatever they want to do with diabetes.
Lewis: Focus on what you want to be doing as opposed to how diabetes is holding you back.
Lewis: I definitely hope I can continue with it. I’m also extremely interested in architecture, so that may be what I do down the line.
Want to learn more about type 1 diabetes? Read “Type 1 Diabetes Questions and Answers,”[11] “Six Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms You Need to Know”[12] and “Living With Type 1 Diabetes: Four Tips to Get You Started.”[13]
Source URL: https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/managing-diabetes/getting-to-know-you/gavin-lewis-type-1-diabetes/
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