Paul Kraus (born 1944) is a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, its collaborators before and during World War II ...

and

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

patient. Kraus was born in and survived a Nazi forced labor camp during World War II. In 1997, Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by asbestos. Doctors originally believed that the cancer was terminal and he had only weeks to live, but Kraus is now considered to be the longest-lived mesothelioma survivor. Today, Kraus is an Australian author and cancer survivor whose writings focus on Australia, health, and spirituality. His book ''Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide'' is a best-selling book on the subject.

Viehofen Forced-Labor camp

Paul's mother, Clara Kraus, a Hungarian Jew, had a two-year-old boy, Peter, and was pregnant with Paul when the Nazis deported her and her children to

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. Due to rail destruction by Allied bombing, they were sent to a forced labor camp established in the Viehofen flood plain near St. Pölten, Lower

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Approximately 180 men, women and children lived in three barracks in the camp where they were used as forced labor for the state-owned Traisen-Wasserverband company based in St. Pölten and the surrounding area. Paul Kraus was born on the grounds of the camp on 20 October 1944. Inadequate nutrition, lack of hygiene, shootings by the SS, failed attempts to escape, and bombings by the Allies caused many deaths at the camp. Clara Kraus escaped with her toddler Peter and infant son Paul in January 1945 and survived a cross-country trek in winter to Clara's home in German-occupied

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. There, she was reunited with her husband, who survived imprisonment in the

Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 f ...

. At the end of World War II, the family emigrated to Australia.

Mesothelioma

Paul Kraus received his Bachelor of Arts degree at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a Public university, public research university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the Sydney metropolitan area. ...

and a Master of Arts and Education from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. During a summer vacation as an undergraduate student, he worked adjacent to an

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

factory, where he was exposed to fine asbestos dust.Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide, p. 143 Decades later, he was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer known to be caused by exposure from asbestos. Due to his advanced metastases, doctors believed he only had weeks to live. Over the last 30 years, Kraus has worked as an author and educator. He has written several books, including books co-written with

Ian Gawler Ian James Gawler Order of Australia, OAM (born 25 February 1950) is an Australian author and a prominent advocate for the therapeutic application of mind-body medicine and meditation. Early life and career Gawler was born in 1950 to Alan Gawler ...

Selected works

*Faith, Hope, Love and Laughter – How They Heal *Not So Fabulous 50s: Images of a Migrant Childhood *A New Australian, a New Australia *Surviving Cancer: Inspirational Stories of Hope and Healing *Prayers, Promises & Prescriptions for Healing *Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide *Mother Courage: From the Holocaust to Australia

References

External links

Paul Kraus’ Mesothelioma Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraus, Paul 1944 births Australian health and wellness writers Australian autobiographers People from Sankt Pölten Living people Austrian emigrants to Australia