Dubai: Meet expat who was told he would live till just 17, defies odds to live a full life

When Dario Van Krauser was 13 years old, his poor health landed him in a hospital, where he overheard his doctor telling his mother that he would not live for long. Although it devastated him, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"I was born with so many health issues that the doctor predicted I wouldn't live past the age of 17-20," he said. "I was not religious, but I knelt and prayed for a long life that night. The next morning, I woke up with a question: how do martial arts practitioners live a long and fulfilling life? They die, but most of them die at an older age and when they are still active. So, I began my research and journey into the world of martial arts."

An entrepreneur, black belt holder in karate, and long-time martial arts practitioner, Dario is now in his fifties. He welcomed his first grandchild in May 2023 and is ready to welcome his second grandchild next February.

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“Martial arts saved me,” he said. “Both when I was young and sick and later on in life when I was going through other issues. Last year, I witnessed one of the most precious moments when I held my grandson for the first time. That was proof that a person’s life and death is determined by the Creator alone, and no one can predict it.”

The Colombian expat now trains and works at Atrixion Elite Combat Sports Academy in Dubai and hopes to inspire a new generation of martial arts students. In his free time, he researches and studies various ancient martial arts.

Bullied in school

School life was not easy for Dario. “I was the shortest, thinnest, sickliest person in every class,” he recalled. “I was also bullied relentlessly because of this.”

After the grim prognosis from the doctor, Dario spent a month researching martial arts practitioners and their way of life, even though he had been doing karate since he was 9. “Every Saturday, I would go to the library and read up whatever I could about martial arts lifestyle,” he recalled. “I then drew up a nutrition plan and enrolled in Chinese martial arts classes.”

He also practised yoga, did breathing activities and performed slow exercises and movements to strengthen his body further. Until 17, Dario dabbled in karate and various forms of Chinese martial arts until he had a major health crisis. “At the age of 17, as the doctor predicted, I was hospitalised with weakness and convulsion,” he said. “Most of them thought I wouldn’t make it but I was determined to stand up and walk again. After three weeks, I was discharged.”

Adult life

As an adult, Dario got married and began his own business while serving his community through martial arts education. “The happiest moment for me was when I had my first daughter, something which doctors said I’d never live to see,” he recalled.

However, his troubles were far from over. In 2011, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “The two years before that, my wife had been diagnosed with cancer, and I was her caretaker,” he said. “In the process, I neglected myself, and I had paid the price for it.”

Determined not to be beaten, he shut his business in a different city and moved back home, where he set up a nonprofit organisation to teach martial arts to children from poor neighbourhoods. “If it was my time to go, I wanted to do what I love and benefit the community,” he said. “I also focused on my diet a lot more, avoided meat, increased the consumption of fruits and vegetables and exercised daily.”

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