PRINCE OF POSITIVITY
Actor Gavin Lewis focuses on what he can do with T1D—from starring in
a Netflix show to inspiring other kids with diabetes
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 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-Man-
agement about his diagnosis, how he manages
his diabetes on-set, and resisting craft services.
How did you get into acting?
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.
What do you remember about
your diagnosis?
Lewis: I didn’t understand what was happen-
ing. 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.
Did you exhibit diabetes symp-
toms before that?
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, pancakes with
syrup and Sunny D! They checked my blood
sugar [at the hospital], and I maxed out at 1,000.
Did you know anything about
the disease?
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 real-
ized it was something I’d have to incorporate
into my life.How do you manage your diabe-
tes while filming the show?
Lewis: I have a Dexcom G6 continuous glucose
monitor (CGM), 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.Do you go to school on-set as well?
Lewis: Yeah, they have a set teacher, so I
do it kind of sporadically throughout the day,
depending on my filming schedule.When did you start using a Dex-
com and what do you like about it?
Lewis: I’ve probably used a CGM for three,
four, five years.
The first pump I started on was not a Dexcom,
and I actually didn’t like it. I used the filament
with the plastic needle, and they kept occluding.
I’d have to change the site three times a day. It
was a bad first impression, and I kind of gave
up after a few weeks and went back to shots.
Then we heard about the steel sets, so we
switched to those and used those for a long
time. They were much better than taking shots
several times a day.What type of support do you
receive for your diabetes man-
agement from your family and
your co-workers?
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.
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.Is it hard to eat healthy on-set?
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.Do you hear from a lot of fans
with type 1 diabetes? What sort
of things do they say?
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.What advice has helped you cope
with your diagnosis?
Lewis: Pretty shortly after I was diagnosed, I
won a contest to meet Nick Jonas, who has type 1.
He’s a big supporter of the diabetic community,
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.What type of work do you do
for Beyond Type 1?
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. 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.What advice do you have for
kids and parents managing
T1D?
Lewis: Focus on what you want to be
doing as opposed to how diabetes is
holding you back.Do you plan to con-
tinue with acting in the
future as a career?
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. 28 September/October 2019