Chrissy Teigen recently revealed that her son Miles has been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes, after their picture from Olympics 2024 went viral.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend were among many celebrities who made it to Paris to support Team USA for the Olympics 2024. Chrissy, along with her two oldest kids, Luna and Miles, shared a sweet picture from the Olympics where they showed support for decorated US gymnast Simone Biles as they held up signs with her name. But as Miles, Chrissy’s oldest son, held up his placard, fans noticed a type-1 diabetes monitor on his upper arm. This began an outpouring of unprecedented love for Chrissy Teigen and her family. Here’s what you need to know about this chronic autoimmune disease.

After Chrissy Teigen shared the picture with Miles and Luna, she probably did not have any idea that it would go viral due to Miles’s health condition. As people noticed the type-1 diabetes monitor on his arm, they rallied support for Chrissy Teigen by sending messages of support for the mother and her family in unprecedented territory for them. Overwhelmed with emotion from her community, Chrissy Teigen shared a sweet Instagram post thanking everyone who had reached out to her with words of kindness and encouragement.

Chrissy Teigen overwhelmed with community support

She wrote in a lengthy post, “A lot of you noticed something a little special about a photo I posted a few days ago. You noticed his type-1 diabetes monitor and extended so much love and encouragement in every way possible.”

Chrissy Teigen continued to reveal that they had only known about Miles’s autoimmune disease for a couple of weeks. He was diagnosed when in the hospital for an unrelated infection.

“The doctors knew something else was off about his blood tests. I’ve learned since then that this is how so many young children end up being diagnosed with type-1 – going to the hospital for something completely different,” she wrote. “After more testing, we learned he is in the ‘honeymoon period’ of a lifetime of T1.”

“Here we go! A different, new world for us and we are certainly learning so much on the fly,” Chrissy Teigen added, after revealing that they had administered Miles his first shot of insulin earlier in the week.

But, what exactly is type-1 diabetes?

There are two types of diabetes, which is a lifelong condition that makes a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level become too high. In type-2 diabetes, the pancreas, which is responsible for making insulin, starts making less of the hormone over time or the body’s cells become resistant to it.

However, in type-1 disease, which Chrissy Teigen’s son is diagnosed with, the pancreas does not make any insulin at all.

While type-1 diabetes can happen at any age, it usually occurs before you hit 40 and mostly in children. It accounts for almost 10% of all diabetes. In type-1, the pancreas increasingly reduces the production of insulin until it completely stops. Insulin is responsible for regulating blood sugar, which, if it remains too high, can seriously damage the body’s organs over time.

Type-1 diabetes happens when your body’s immune system starts mistaking the cells in your pancreas as harmful and attacking them. This results in the reduction and eventual stoppage of insulin production. Once that happens, your body starts breaking down its own fat and muscle to regulate glucose. This can result in weight loss.

Life with type-1 diabetes means you have to regularly monitor your blood sugar level, which can be done with a flash monitor, like the one seen on Chrissy Teigen’s son’s arm in the picture. You also have to administer doses of insulin, which will change with the type of food you have consumed. Moreover, to manage the disease you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle to keep the blood sugar levels in check.