WARRIOR’S FIGHT ‘TIL THE END
Cruel diagnosis a mountain too high for Daniel Wilson, 37
HE was one of the nation’s foremost fitness gurus – and vowed he would win his war with cancer.
Sadly, Gold Coaster Daniel Wilson, described by friends as a “warrior”, lost his battle with stomach cancer at just 37 and only two months after he was diagnosed.
HE was described by friends as a “beast”, a “warrior” and “Hercules”.
And after being diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer at just 37, Gold Coaster Daniel Wilson was showing the same never-say-die spirit that made him one of Australia’s foremost fitness gurus.
Mr Wilson, who brought brutal commando-style exercise routine Metafit to Australia, was still smashing workouts and scaling mountains even as he underwent chemotherapy.
He lost his battle last week, just two months after being diagnosed, leaving family, friends and the fitness community reeling.
Mr Wilson had more than 20 years’ experience in the fitness industry, from personal training through to sales and marketing roles, and was director of Metafit Asia Pacific and USA.
He brought Metafit – a 30minute body weight high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routine – to Australia after it was developed in the UK by a former British commando and an international gymnast.
Mr Wilson had vowed to conquer the disease that tragically beat him.
In March, he told his Facebook followers he had been diagnosed with stage 3 gastric cancer despite his healthy lifestyle and no family history of cancer.
“We should exercise and eat well to decrease the chances of chronic disease BUT sometimes we just get unlucky,” he posted.
“I’m in the best physical and emotional state for the war – I certainly won’t lose!”
Last month, Mr Wilson posted photos of himself climbing to the summit of Mt Warning in northern NSW.
“Great chemo prep climbing Mt Warning this morning,” he captioned the post.
Social media tributes are flowing for Mr Wilson, who leaves behind a partner as well as family members including his parents.
“The world lost an exceptional man this week,” friend Helen Kontogiannis posted.
“Your mindset and attitude towards life and living was incredible, and you had a way of putting a positive spin on even the most daunting and unfairest of situations … like your shock gastric cancer diagnosis at 37 years young.
“You were determined to deliver a powerful message from the outset … that being fit and healthy won’t guarantee the prevention of all disease, but it sure as hell can prepare you for the fight of your life should you ever need to.”