"I think about it sometimes," he said. "You know what can happen, how every day is important, what each day is worth.
"To be here and playing in the finals is one of the biggest days in my life. It's really beautiful," he added after the Dutch beat Germany to set up a final showdown with Australia.
Klaver was playing a practice match in April 2002
Klaver collapsed, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he was unconscious for three days, had a split in his skull, heavy concussion and a huge scar on his spinal cord.
"Even bad whiplash victims don't have the sort of scar I had. It was amazing. But even that turned out to be OK after a while," Klaver said, looking around the stands at the thousands of Dutch fans who minutes ago had been cheering him on pitch.
"It's been an emotional time but that book is closed now. Instead I'm here and it's just amazing."