Fund A Cure with The Burrows Family | Breakthrough T1D St. Louis Gala 2026

Meet the Burrows Family

Every family touched by type 1 diabetes (T1D) remembers the exact moment life changed. For us, there were two.

The first was when I was 27—Life was supposed to feel light and hopeful—Joe and I had just gotten engaged, planning our future. Instead, I suddenly found myself learning how to count carbs, take insulin, and live with a diagnosis that would follow me through every hour of every day. I told myself I could handle it. I told myself I had to. I was learning how to live with a disease that never sleeps, never pauses, and never lets you forget it’s there. I told myself I would adjust. I told myself I had to be strong.

I didn’t know then that the hardest day of my life was still ahead.

The second moment was when our son Charlie—our bright, funny, genuinely kind old soul —was diagnosed a few days after school let out for summer break and about a month before his fifth birthday. I watched him sit bravely as needles, blood tests, and medical words he didn’t understand became part of his childhood. No parent is ever prepared to hold their child as they cry from a site change or to stay awake through the night listening for alarms, praying numbers stay safe. It is one thing to manage this disease as an adult. It is another to watch your child endure finger pokes, site changes, soaring highs, and dangerous lows—while still trying to be a carefree little kid. There is no break. There is no “day off.” Every meal, every activity, every night’s sleep comes with calculations, alarms, and worry.

Managing this disease as an adult is hard. Watching your child fight it is heartbreaking.

There are days when Charlie runs out to play like any other kid—and I stand with my phone watching his blood sugar drop, wondering if I have minutes or seconds before I have to intervene. There are nights when he sleeps peacefully, unaware that I am checking him over and over because his monitor says he is low and that is dangerous for his body. There are moments when he asks, “Mom, when will I be normal again? I just want to go back to normal.” and I have to remind myself not to cry in front of him.

But there is so much courage in him. So much hope. So much determination for someone so young. Charlie shows me every day what strength really looks like.

This is why our family said yes to being the 2026 Breakthrough T1D Fund A Cure Family. This is why we are sharing our story with you.

Breakthrough T1D has been a lifeline for families like ours—funding the research that gives us better tools, safer treatments, and real possibilities for cures. Progress is happening with unbelievable momentum. But to turn that momentum into reality, we need support that is just as strong.

This year’s gala goal is ambitious because the science deserves ambition—and because families like ours need breakthroughs now, not someday.

Your Fund A Cure gift goes directly to the research that can change everything. It means fewer needles, fewer scares, fewer sleepless nights. It means hope for a future where Charlie can live without constant monitoring… and where no parent ever has to fear the sound of a low alarm at 2 a.m.

Thank you for reading our story. Thank you for caring about families like ours. And thank you, truly, for helping us fight for a world where T1D no longer steals childhoods, moments, or peace.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Adeline Burrows 

On behalf of Charlie and our family

2026 Breakthrough T1D Fund A Cure Family

P.S. We hope you’ll join us at this year’s gala for a night of purpose, progress, and hope—hope that you are helping make possible.