Chrissy Teigen says she’s not ready to talk about son’s Type 1 diabetes
Chrissy Teigen plans to talk more about her 6-year-old son’s diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes — just not now.
The 38-year-old model, celebrity chef and mother of four took to Instagram on Nov. 23 to share photos of what her household looks like with the holiday season approaching.
“House is alivvvve! alphabets and counting, big kids being big and becoming funny little humans. it’s a lot but it’s perfect,” she wrote in the caption.
In the comments section, one of her followers asked if she planned to open up and spread awareness about diabetes and her son’s diagnosis.
“As a mom with such a large following, would you consider sharing more about Type 1? At least a bit to raise awareness? Sincerely, a fellow T1 mom,” the commenter asked.
Teigen replied: “I definitely plan to! We are still learning over here ourselves!”
Teigen’s son Miles, who she shares with husband John Legend, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes this year.
She revealed the diagnosis in July after her followers noticed Miles wearing a monitor in a photo posted to Teigen’s account on July 28.
Fans were quick to flood the comments section with encouragement and positivity.
“Hey Miles! I have T1D too. And guess what??? I just turned 61!” one follower wrote. “Never let anyone tell you that you are different or can’t do something because you have T1D. You can do or be anything you want!!”
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease in which your pancreas either doesn’t make insulin or makes little insulin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It affects around 304,000 adolescents under age 20, the CDC says.
On July 31, Teigen opened up about the diagnosis for the first time.
“A lot of you noticed something a little special about a photo I posted a few days ago — Luna, Miles and I celebrating Simone and team USA,” she wrote in one of the photos.
“Miles had his arm up, and soooo many of you reached out to say the most beautiful and incredible words I have ever witnessed on this platform,” she continued.
She praised the “kindness of this community” and said she was “blown away” by the support he had received in a short amount of time.
Teigen revealed the origin story of his diagnosis and it started with a “terrible case of shigella,” which she says he and some of his friends came down with while at camp.
While in the hospital, doctors grew concerned about his blood tests and ordered more tests to investigate.
“After more testing, we learned he is in the ‘honeymoon period’ of a lifetime of T1. Last night we gave him his first shot of insulin and here we go!” she wrote.
Teigen added that a lot of children who are diagnosed with T1 find out the same way — going to the hospital for something different.
Though she describes this journey as a “different, new world” for her family, she understands that things could be a lot worse.
“So many parents around the world are going through unfathomable things that I could never imagine,” she continued. “I tell myself this every time I get a red alert blasted to our phones.”
That was the last she talked about the disease prior to her Nov. 23 comment, but she plans to open up more as she learns more.
And that’s what she’s doing, according to her husband.
“She’s been so good at learning what she needs to do,” Legend said of his wife in a September interview with People magazine.
He explained that she was “upset a little bit when she first heard,” but they’re getting through it together.
“My personality is one where I’m very optimistic and I’m very practical,” he added. “As soon as I learned that he had this I knew it was going to be life-changing for him and for us, but I’m also like, ‘We can do this.’”
Aside from Miles, Legend and Teigen also share daughters Luna, 8, and Esti, 22 months, and son Wren (via surrogate), 17 months.
