Chrissy Teigen Reveals How Son Miles’ Diabetes Diagnosis Changed Her Family Forever

Mom-of-four Chrissy Teigen says it came as a shock to her and husband John Legend when their 6-year-old son Miles was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas makes too little insulin.

“We were thrown into this world of chaos and having to learn so much all at once,” says the 39-year-old supermodel, who is also mother to Luna, 9, Esti, 2, and Wren, 23 months.

“Everything was put on pause. We were finding ourselves going in and out of hospitals, sitting down with our notebooks taking copious notes and taking videos of everything someone was doing with the insulin jar.”

She was dealing with Miles’ fears too.

“He was really worried that it would affect if he could play sports,” says Chrissy, who says he asked questions like, “Can I have candy still?” All the things that a kid would worry about.

She and Legend bought stacks of books about diabetes for Miles but “I found myself reading more children’s books than maybe he was even. It puts it in terms that are so easy to understand.”

One of the most difficult parts of Miles’ treatment is administering his daily insulin injections.

“You try everything: tokens, bribery, iPad time. You do everything you can to see what makes him comfortable,” says Chrissy. “The first three months were really, really tough for us as a family because your child is experiencing pain.”

Now she hopes to advocate for others who are at high risk of developing the disease to get screened early.

“It doesn’t prevent type 1, but it is going to prepare you for it,” says Teigen. “I cannot tell you how much it changed our life so quickly.”