Fund A Cure with The Adams Family | Breakthrough T1D Grand Rapids Gala 2026

About

John Adams and his family became involved with what was then known as JDRF, now Breakthrough T1D, shortly after his son Andrew was diagnosed with Type 1 in 1991, at the age of 7. John and the family participated in walks in the Detroit area to support their local chapter. John joined the South- East Michigan Board in 2012 and after the move to western Michigan was on the West Michigan Board from 2013-2019.

Like all families battling Type 1, there were some frightening moments as young Andrew dealt with inevitable swings in blood glucose levels. They wanted help fast. Early in the development of the artificial pancreas, a local JDRF chapter director reached out to the family asking for a donation to support the program. They were motivated by its potential to significantly improve Andrew’s health in the near term, while they continued to hope for the ultimate goal—a cure. Although the closed-loop insulin delivery system took time to fully develop, Andrew eagerly adopted each advancement along the way. Without question, this investment—combined with Andrew’s determination and willingness to embrace new technology—has paid off.

For the past 35 years, Andrew has lived the daily battles of T1D and the constant challenge of managing blood sugars without a functioning pancreas. Through this effort, he has been able to maintain good control, with a recent endocrine telling him his control was among the best she would see this month. Andrew could not have done this without the advancements in diabetes technology, much of it funded by Breakthrough T1D.

Andrew has also given back to the cause. He ran the Chicago marathon with his father and sister to raise money for T1D. More recently, Andrew worked closely with a company that developed nasal glucagon, putting together a 6-person team while attending Wharton for Healthcare Management to provide consulting support to the company. Andrew was also selected to the first Advisory Panel of PCORI, an organization created by the Affordable Care Act, where he helped guide funding for improving healthcare systems and advocated for diabetes research funding.

Andrew is extremely grateful to his family – for their direct support when he was a child, and for their ongoing dedication to Breakthrough T1D and advancing diabetes research. has made to the T1D cause.