Bill Davidson first started riding motorcycles at age 7. That’s not so surprising once you find out that his great-grandfather cofounded the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, maker of the “Great American Freedom Machines.”

With biking in his blood, it’s also no surprise that Davidson later became a dirt-bike enthusiast who competed in challenging off-road motorcycle races.

What is surprising is that he did it all with diabetes.

Davidson’s diabetes was discovered by accident. When he was 3, a stray dog bit him. He landed in a hospital emergency room. There, a blood test showed that the toddler had type 1 diabetes.

That was in the 1960s, before blood glucose meters were developed. Back then, managing diabetes was very complicated. In order to keep his disease under control, Davidson had to eat his meals at 8 am, noon, and 5 pm sharp. He also had to stick to a strict diet. “No candy, desserts, regular soda—no sugar of any kind,” he says. Insulin was injected with a glass syringe that was used repeatedly. “We kept it in alcohol in a peanut butter jar,” says Davidson with a laugh.

If the diabetes care he received as a kid seems old-fashioned and very difficult, Davidson credits his parents with making it all work: “My mother and father did everything in their power to make living with diabetes as easy as possible for me,” he says. “And they taught me to be open about my disease.”

In fact, when Davidson was in junior high school, all the students had to give a demonstration speech. When it was his turn, he showed his classmates how to give themselves injections. “That was my way of saying, ‘this is what I have to do, and it’s no big deal.’?”

Davidson’s parents also taught him that having diabetes should not limit him. In addition to riding motorcycles, he played high school football and later joined a soccer team. His family also went on frequent camping trips—with the peanut butter jar in tow.

Life without limits
Davidson hasn’t let diabetes limit his life as an adult, either. After finishing college, he joined the family firm. Today, at age 46, he is the company’s vice president of core customer marketing. He works at Harley-Davidson’s headquarters in Milwaukee. (His father, William G. [“Willie G.”] Davidson is senior vice president and chief styling officer.)

“Harley-Davidson is a passion for us,” says Davidson. “Weekends when I’m not at work, I’m out riding my bike with friends.” He also scuba dives and is a water and snow skier, both downhill and cross-country. That’s when he’s not working long hours, or traveling to Europe, Japan, South and Central America, and Australia to meet with Harley-Davidson customers.

How does he do all this with type 1 diabetes? Davidson is a firm believer in keeping his disease well controlled. A study done some years ago showed that keeping tight control of diabetes can help prevent complications. “For the first time there was scientific evidence that if you could keep your blood sugar within certain ranges, your chances of living a long, healthy life were fantastic,” he says.

At about the same time, different types of insulin, including rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, came on the market. That meant people with diabetes could keep better control of their blood sugar. Davidson says the newer kinds of insulin make things much easier. “If I’m busy, I can skip a meal, and if I have a piece of pie at Thanksgiving, it’s not the end of the world—I can cover it with insulin.”

What really improved diabetes treatment, says Davidson, were blood glucose monitors—small, computerized machines that tell you your blood sugar level. “I use one 12 to 14 times a day,” he says. “It gives me an inside look at what my blood sugar is doing.”

But no machine can do all the work. “I firmly believe that I am my own doctor,” says Davidson. Although his healthcare providers can help him a lot, “it’s really up to me to control this disease,” he says. That means keeping track of his food intake and insulin dosages and exercising every day.

The result is that even though he has had diabetes for 43 years, Davidson has had no complications and feels “great.” He also believes that being happy makes it easier to stay healthy. “You can’t let this disease get you,” he says. “I’ve always approached it that way, and it works for me.”

Fighting for a cure
Davidson is passionate about fund-raising for diabetes research. He’s served on the board of directors of the American Diabetes Association and is now on the board of its Wisconsin affiliate. He also makes a point of attending and supporting diabetes fund-raisers held by Harley-Davidson dealers around the United States. Motorcycles are often auctioned off for the cause.

“A positive outlook doesn’t change the fact that managing type 1 diabetes is a ton of work,” says Davidson. “I pray every day that my 8-year-old daughter, Cara, doesn’t get this disease.”

Because he has worked with kids who have diabetes and knows that many people suffer from serious complications such as blindness and heart problems, Davidson is fighting hard for a cure.