Teen with diabetes rocks insulin pump on 'American Ninja Warrior'

Most “American Ninja Warrior" contestants have one goal in mind, shattering the competition, but when Katie Bone signed up for the hit NBC show, she had some extra motivation: raising awareness for type 1 diabetes, a condition she was diagnosed with at age 11.

The 16-year-old, who qualified for the semifinals, showed off her medical equipment with pride while filming her "American Ninja Warrior" episode, which aired in late June.

“I didn’t want to hide it and make other people with type 1 diabetes feel like they should be ashamed of it or they should hide it, too,” she told Shape. “I want them to know that it is OK to wear it visible. … It’s not something you need to be embarrassed about.”

The teenager explained that a child she babysits inspired her to show off her tubeless insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor during the competition.

“A kid that I babysit had told me once that he didn’t want to wear his Omnipod (a tubeless insulin pump) on his arm because he didn’t want it to make him feel weird,” she said. “That was the moment in which I knew that I wanted to openly talk about (type 1 diabetes) on the show and make that my story.”

According to Mayo Clinic, type 1 diabetes, which usually appears in childhood, is a chronic condition that can be caused by genetics or some viruses.

“In this condition, the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy," the Mayo Clinic explains.

Bone uses an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor to manage her diabetes, and she said she's already received a lot of positive feedback since her episode of "American Ninja Warrior."

“It is crazy that what my story did and what I have been able to do has been able to make an impact in the community,” she said.

Three years before she was diagnosed with diabetes, Bone began rock climbing, and she hopes to compete in the sport in the Olympics one day. Still, her diagnosis made rock climbing a bit difficult at first.

“It was just a new normal,” she said. “Now it’s just part of my life. It’s a big part of it, but I can still compete and train and do all the things I want to do, even with type 1.”