Will Cross has skied to the North and South poles and scaled the highest peaks on seven continents, including Mount Everest.

But he isn't your average adventurer. The 40-year-old Highland Park man must overcome risks other explorers don't even have to consider.

Mr. Cross has type 1 diabetes.

That means journeying to Earth's most extreme locations while controlling a disease requiring regular doses of insulin, a steady diet and tightly controlled blood-glucose levels. The biggest challenges are avoiding low blood sugar and preventing the insulin from freezing.

But the educator, motivator and father of six has proved that people with diabetes can achieve whatever goals they so choose, as long as they control the disease.

Preparing to trek to the Himalayas in March to scale Lhotse, the world's fourth-highest mountain, Mr. Cross spoke about his life and the message he imparts to others with diabetes: Under control, diabetes does not need to be a mountain to climb.

"When you properly manage it, you can do whatever you aspire to do. Life doesn't have to stop," he said. "When I speak to people, I don't recommend they climb Mount Everest, or go to the South Pole. What I do recommend is that they take on the challenge of life. You may not always be successful, but you are required to try."

A native of England -- the son of an American mother and British father, a Royal Air Force officer -- Mr. Cross grew up a dedicated Boy Scout who always preferred the outdoors.

But those interests suffered a setback when he developed type 1 diabetes at age 9.

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Lack of insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to enter cells, causes glucose to build to dangerous levels in the blood, while preventing cells from receiving energy.

Treatment requires daily doses of insulin, a good diet, exercise and regular testing of blood-glucose levels. Poor control can lead to heart and kidney disease, strokes, blindness and loss of limbs due to circulation problems.

Facing this health challenge, Mr. Cross at 17 applied to go on a survival expedition to the wilds of Patagonia in South America. His application was rejected because of his diabetes.

So he wrote a letter to Prince Charles, of England, the program's patron, to explain how he wanted to prove he could overcome diabetes' limitations. Prince Charles replied with a letter of acceptance.

For sure, the South America adventure tested his resolve. Planners grossly underestimated the food supply, and for 20 days, participants had to survive on a daily ration of a single serving of cheese and bread and half a lemon.

So Mr. Cross drastically reduced his insulin dose, while he and others foraged for berries, ate grasses and bagged wild ducks and sea urchins. Near starvation, he survived the ordeal and proved he could control his diabetes under extreme conditions.

Upon his return, he attended Allegheny College and climbed mountains during summers. With a master's degree from Duquesne University and principal's certificate from the University of Pittsburgh, he worked with troubled youth.

But he felt caged.

Soon the idea struck him: Why not turn his hobby into a profession? Interested in trekking to the South Pole, he sought corporate sponsors to fund his trip but found no company willing to back the risky venture that could bring bad headlines should he fail -- or die.

So Mr. Cross and his friend, Jerry Petersen of Pittsburgh, each raised $10,000 and undertook the two-week icy journey to the North Pole. Led by a guide, the two reached the pole on April 20, 2001. He was the first with type 1 to accomplish the feat.

Soon after, in 2002, he spent a month exploring Greenland, climbing and naming various glacial mountains. Those experiences bolstered his confidence and credentials to pursue corporate funding for a trip to the South Pole.

Mr. Cross hired a man to raise the $500,000 necessary for the trip and Novo Nordisk, the world's largest insulin producer, came on board as a sponsor.

The University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute also decided to study what effect the two-month marathon through temperatures dipping as low as minus-54 degrees Fahrenheit would have on his diabetes. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center nutritionists also planned his diet -- mostly fats, nuts, cheeses, chocolates and other high-calorie foods.

The 730-mile trek to the South Pole got under way in 2003 with an overriding question: Could he keep control of his diabetes?

Mr. Cross gained 20 pounds before the trip. One can easily consume only about 8,000 calories a day but expend 10,000 walking 10 miles while pulling a sled through frigid temperatures. He ended up losing 35 pounds.

Mr. Cross and Mr. Petersen pressed on through frigid weather, ending the day inside a tent heated only by cooking stoves and the sun. They had to avoid deadly ice crevices in the white void.

But after two laborious months they reached the pole, making Mr. Cross the first person with type 1 to accomplish that goal. His trip was covered on "Today" and "Discovery Kids," among many other media outlets.

In 2005, the public-relations industry named him "Spokesperson of the Year" because people responded favorably to his feats and the inspirational message he imparted in speeches he gave nationwide.

His Web site, www.willcrossmotivates.com, details his successes.

After returning from the South Pole, Mr. Cross met with Novo Nordisk officials and capped off his corporate presentation with a statement that drew a standing ovation:

"I think Novo Nordisk and I should climb Mount Everest."

Now Mr. Cross faced the challenge of becoming the second person with type 1 and first American to climb the world's highest peak -- 29,035 feet, or 5 1/2 miles, above sea level.

It would require his every skill, including his ability to realize when to turn back.

In the first attempt, he reached 27,500 feet, but a problem with an oxygen tank forced him to abandon the effort. His second attempt in 2005 took him within 100 meters of the summit before he turned back due to high winds and bad weather.

During the second attempt, two Sherpa, or natives of that region, perished in the Khumbu Ice Fall just above base camp. In a later climb, a woman in his party fell to her death.

On his third attempt up Everest, he reached the summit at 5:20 a.m., May 23, 2006, and remained there for 20 minutes before heading back down the mountain. Mr. Cross compared the life-changing achievement to having children or getting married.

"It's a quiet, clear satisfaction about reaching the summit that's very buoyant," he said. "But then there's the reality you are only half way there."

The other half is an equally arduous trek back down the slopes.

Concerned that air pressures at such elevations would damage the insulin pump that another sponsor, Animas, had provided him, he took flexpens of Novolog insulin as a backup. But the pump didn't fail him.

Mr. Cross finally had Mount Everest on his burgeoning resume.

Novo Nordisk and Animas Corp. remain sponsors, and he now will promote Animas' DexCom continuous glucose monitoring device, which he'll wear in upcoming climbs to help maintain blood-glucose levels.

Always seeking new sponsors, he currently receives backing from the Kobold Watch Co. in Pittsburgh, which is producing a Will Cross watch for mountaineers.

Mr. Cross, a Russell Crowe lookalike, said he long has had a complete package to satisfy sponsors' needs, especially those involved with diabetes. "But going to Mount Everest -- that's the crown jewel," he said.

Successful with his "Novolog Peaks and Poles Challenge," he's now begun the next challenge of climbing six of the 14 Himalayan Mountains, some more difficult than Mount Everest.

An Phan, Novo Nordisk director of product communications, said Mr. Cross keeps company officials "on pins and needles" during his expeditions, but for a good cause.

"We have faith in him and help him spread hope to 21 million people with diabetes" in the United States, she said, noting intentions to continue the association with him. "It's all about managing diabetes and not letting diabetes manage you."

In terms of control, he maintains an average HgA1c, or average blood-sugar level, of less than 7, which meets American Diabetes Association recommendations. Having lived with diabetes for 31 years, he said he's experienced no health complications to date. He works out year-round to keep fit.

And with UPMC's help, he said, he has a sound strategy to control his blood sugar under stressful conditions. He starts daily climbs with an elevated blood-sugar level and typically ends well within the normal range. UPMC's studies of him prove that people with controlled diabetes can withstand challenges without adverse health effects.

Bret Goodpaster, a physiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, followed Mr. Cross to Antarctica, found that Mr. Cross suffered no ill effects from the ordeal.

"Will, who is physically fit and has great determination, was quite capable of doing something like that," Dr. Goodpaster said. "Even without diabetes, to do the things he's done is incredible."

Mr. Cross said his mission is on course -- to give hope to all people with diabetes.

"I speak with patients all over the country to empower them and inspire them to walk around the block and live a richer life," he said.