Will Cross

Positive Profile: Will Cross Adventurer?

For most people, trekking to the North Pole would be the adventure of a lifetime.

For Will Cross - who reached the North Pole on foot on April 20, 2001 - it was just a training run. He plans to leave in November of 2002 on an expedition to the South Pole, aiming to hit the pole on New Year's Day. (For those of you not into extreme expeditioning, the trek to the South Pole is much more challenging. As Will says, "Going to the North Pole, we were on the ice for two weeks. At the South Pole, it will be two months.")

Will Cross was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1976, when he was 9 years old, and he's living proof that people with diabetes can do anything. At the age of 14, he took a course with Outward Bound. "I liked the expeditioning lifestyle," Will says. "Ever since I've tried to make a trip every year and see a little more of the world."

The "trips" Will has made since then include ascents of Denali (the highest peak in North America), Aconcagua (the highest peak in South America), Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn, the Grand Teton and Alpamayo. He has also participated in expeditions to Patagonia, Mountains of the Moon, the Sahara Desert, and the Thar Desert of India.

Will is married, with four children aged 5, 6, 8 and 10. His work during the year is almost as challenging as his summer expeditions. He has his Masters in Education, and he is the Principal of the Alternative School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, teaching "at risk" students - kids who are rude and violent, with poor attendance and bad attitudes toward teachers and authority. "I've worked with 'at risk' kids for 12 years," Will says. "It's all I've ever done."

Diabetes has never held Will back from doing what he wants - but that doesn't mean he ignores it. Just the opposite, in fact. "As long as you're thoughtful, test regularly, exercise, don't mess around with your diet - you can do just about anything you want to do," Will says. "If you screw around, you pay. With other diseases you don't get a vote on how it turns out. With diabetes, how it turns out is up to you."

For the past four years, Will has used an insulin pump to help control his diabetes. In fact, he wore it to the North Pole, keeping it warm by wearing it close to his body, under his clothes. "It worked great," Will says. He also uses a LifeScan blood glucose meter, and tests his blood sugar frequently.

On his polar treks, Will works closely with the University of Pittsburgh on studies of the diabetic metabolism under extreme conditions. The University helps design his diet and his workout programs. "On our North Pole trek, we ate 5,500 calories a day," Will says. "Sixty per cent of it was fat. But we were burning up 6,000 to 6,500 calories a day, so we actually lost weight. With that kind of diet you'd think your blood pressure and cholesterol would go up. But tests showed they did not. In fact, my fitness increased by 15%."

Will strongly believes that a lifetime of vigorous exercise has helped to keep him free of the complications of diabetes. "I think the reason my eyesight and my nerves still work after 26 years with diabetes is because of the exercise. I have no scientific evidence to prove that - but I know how I feel when I exercise and when I don't, and I see the difference in my blood sugars. Common sense tells me that exercise is tremendously beneficial."

Will's advice for the newly diagnosed? "The sooner you accept that your life has changed and get on with it, the better off you'll be. All the research shows that the first year is critical to your longevity. If you haven't had a healthy routine - you're overweight, you don't exercise, you eat junk food - what a great opportunity to get yourself healthy."

One of the purposes of Will's expeditions is to inspire and encourage younger kids and their families, as Will says, "To just get on with it. I talk to kids groups at least once a month. We inspire kids who either don't think it can be done, or need some evidence that it can be done."

The expeditions also raise money to help find a cure. Will's expeditions are completely non-profit, with funds raised going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Alpine Club.

For more information on Will's planned trip to the South Pole, check out curewalk.com on the Internet.

This article from Diabetes Positive! magazine is provided as a service by LifeScan. All materials are produced independently by Diabetes Positive!, which is solely responsible for its content. Remember that the information provided by this site is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your own physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

Article reprinted with permission from: Diabetes Positive! © Copyright December 2001

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