Nick Jonas and Bayer HealthCare Announce Winner of "Simple Inspirations" Contest

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare announced today that Christine Burns, aged 19 from Sandy, Utah, is the grand prize winner of "Simple Inspirations," a contest sponsored by Bayer that invited people living with diabetes to motivate newly diagnosed patients by sharing their most inspirational thoughts about living with diabetes. Christine will meet international singing sensation Nick Jonas at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Los Angeles Walk to Cure Diabetes, and will also appear in a World Diabetes Day video with Nick to be launched on November 14, 2011 on www.NicksSimpleWins.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110908/NY63435LOGO)

The "Simple Inspirations" contest was designed to enrich the lives of everyone who has diabetes -- regardless of when they were diagnosed -- and to demonstrate that people with diabetes can live a full and engaged life by effectively managing their condition. A panel of independent judges appointed by the Contest Administrator and Nick Jonas selected the runner ups and grand prize winner. The 12 runner ups will receive a calendar journal compiling the winning entry and the runner-up entries.

"Bayer and I created this contest to inspire others and I truly felt inspired -- the creativity, passion and motivation of Christine's entry and the runners up were phenomenal and picking the winner was a real challenge," said Nick. "I was reminded of how overwhelmed I was when first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and the importance of staying positive and being encouraged by friends, family and the diabetes community."

Christine's Winning Entry: "At first glance, D.I.A.B.E.T.E.S. is Difficult, Intense, Anxious, Bothersome, Everyday, Timely, Eerie, and Sugarfree. But as a whole, D.I.A.B.E.T.E.S. is Discovering Internal Abilities to Boldly Encounter The Earth with a Smile. Sometimes life can be hard (for everyone), but you can do anything you set your mind to even with diabetes. Nothing can stop you if you approach it with the right attitude!"

Nick Jonas, now 19, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13. Since he publicly announced his diagnosis, he has become widely recognized and applauded for speaking out passionately to help other young people with diabetes through efforts to educate, support and inspire. Nick uses Bayer's CONTOUR^® USB meter and knows how important good diabetes management is. Nick is a paid spokesperson for Bayer Diabetes Care, and has been working with Bayer to inspire people with diabetes since 2008. Nick blogs about his personal experiences with diabetes on www.NicksSimpleWins.com where he writes about his latest activities.

To see the winning contest entries and read about Nick's personal experience with diabetes, visit www.NicksSimpleWins.com. The contest was open to legal residents of the United States (except for residents of MA, MI and RI) who are at least 13 years of age and diagnosed with diabetes. All submissions were reviewed based upon the following criteria: Appropriateness to contest theme, Clarity of statement, and Originality/creativity of ideas in statement.  

Bayer Diabetes Care

Bayer Diabetes Care is a worldwide leader in diabetes care, supporting customers in 100 countries and, for more than 40 years, has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. Today, Bayer Diabetes Care offers an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems and comprehensive support including education, tools and resources designed to simplify life with diabetes. Bayer Diabetes Care is a business of the Bayer HealthCare LLC, Medical Care Division and has its global headquarters located in Tarrytown, New York. www.BayerContour.com

Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

Media Contact(s):
Susan Yarin
Bayer Diabetes Care
(914) 366-1738 (o)
[email protected]

For Nick Jonas media inquiries:
Victor Trevino
M2M Construction
[email protected]

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare