There are plenty of reasons why most people wouldn't climb mount everest, and diabetes may certainly be one of them. But not for Will Cross, a 39-year-old motivational speaker who recently became the first diabetic American to climb Mount Everest.

A long-time Type 1 diabetic, Cross believes that anything is possible; it just depends on what you decide to do about it.

"There is a lot of fear and misunderstanding about diabetes," he said yesterday in an interview here.

The disease needn't keep people from doing what they want to do, he said. "The caveat is, you have to take care of yourself. Then you go after what's important to you."

(Photo Source: Everest News)