A marathon effort to cure type 1 diabetes

Andrew Carrier, a Schwab employee based out of the company’s headquarters in Westlake, Texas has run the New York City Marathon eight times. Each November, he laces up his shoes and lines up at the starting line—not for a medal or a personal record—but for his daughter Mckinley, and the millions of others living with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Andrew’s journey as a repeat marathoner and a T1D advocate began unexpectedly in 2017. Andrew and his family (his wife and two daughters) had moved into a small apartment while building a new home. In the tight space, they noticed something unusual: Mckinley, then ten, was constantly thirsty and using the bathroom far more than normal. Concerned, they took her to the doctor. Within hours, she was admitted to the children’s hospital with a diagnosis that shocked the entire family: type 1 diabetes. There was no family history. No other warning signs. Just life turned upside down.

“My first reaction was to cancel everything,” Andrew says.

That included the New York City Marathon he had signed up to run that November. Besides, he’d fallen off his training schedule during the chaos of Mckinley’s health crisis. 

“I told my family, ‘I’m not doing it. This is more important.’”

But Mckinley wouldn’t let him quit.

“Dad, suck it up,” she told him. “If I can go through this, you can do that.”

So Andrew ran—untrained, unprepared, and inspired by his daughter’s courage. 

“It was painful,” he says. “But compared to what Mckinley was facing, it was nothing.”

At the marathon, he noticed members of Breakthrough T1D (then called JDRF)—an organization dedicated to improving life with T1D and finding a cure—cheering on runners and raising money. Andrew already knew he had to do something to help his daughter, and seeing the nonprofit gave him a place to start. He connected with a Breakthrough T1D race organizer and board member from North Carolina on LinkedIn. By coincidence, that board member was moving to Fort Worth to become the executive director of the organization—just miles from Andrew’s home. Their connection was instant.

“He saw how committed I was and asked me to sit on the board of the local chapter,” Andrew says. He’s served on the Fort Worth board ever since and is now the president-elect.

As part of his board commitment, Andrew donates personally to the organization—and those contributions go even further due to Schwab’s two-for-one company match for board service.

Each November, Andrew runs the New York City Marathon in Mckinley’s honor.

For Andrew, the sacrifice is small. “Training in Texas heat is miserable. Running a marathon hurts. But what these kids go through is so much harder.”

The marathon raises nearly $1 million annually for Breakthrough T1D’s mission. Thanks to private funding—including three recent $25 million individual donations—the organization is pushing research closer to a cure.

Mckinley is also thriving—she’s headed to Auburn University in the fall. “She’s so resilient,” Andrew says proudly. “She inspires me every day.”

At Schwab, Andrew shares his passion for the cause and Breakthrough T1D, by helping to identify volunteer and engagement opportunities, extending Schwab's culture of community impact. This spring, he chaired the Breakthrough T1D’s Fort Worth Zoo Gala, which raised over $800k. 

And in November, Andrew will run his eighth New York City Marathon—not for glory, but for Mckinley, and for the hope of a cure.

“I promised her I will keep running until we find a cure for T1D,” he says. “That’s what being a dad means. You never stop.”