“For a moment I thought I’d lost him. The children were in the room, it was terrifying”
Paul in hospital (Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
A dad-of-five has taken on a 200 kilometre challenge to raise money after undergoing brain surgery to remove a kiwi-sized tumour.
Paul Welsh-Dalton, from Ivybridge, was at home with his wife and children on March 3 when he suddenly collapsed in a seizure on the kitchen floor.
Paul’s wife, Tiff said: “Paul’s whole right side just gave out. We weren’t sure if it was a stroke.
“For a moment I thought I’d lost him. The children were in the room, it was terrifying”.
Paul, 45, was rushed to Derriford Hospital where a scan showed a mass on his brain. He was later diagnosed with oligodendroglioma, a rare and malignant brain tumour.
Paul and his wife Tiff(Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
Paul was told the tumour was stage three and it was classed as terminal, but he underwent surgery.
Surgeons at Derriford Hospital performed a five-hour craniotomy where they were able to remove 98 per cent of the tumour, which was roughly the size of a kiwi.
Paul and his family in hospital(Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
As surgeons were operating on Paul’s brain, he was awake during the procedure and played guitar to help surgeons monitor his brain function in real time to ensure vital abilities were not compromised.
Paul said: “We met with the surgeon who performed the surgery and I mentioned how important the guitar is to me as I’ve been playing for 30 years.
“He said, ‘Bring it along and we’ll see if we can work it into the operation.’ I played songs like Green Day’s ‘Good Riddance’, Tenacious D’s ‘Tribute’, and Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’. Playing the guitar while having my brain operated on was such a surreal experience.”
Paul was awake and playing the guitar as surgeons removed a malignant tumour from his brain(Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
Since the surgery Paul has also undergone radiotherapy and is beginning nine months of chemotherapy.
Throughout Paul’s surgery and treatment his wife Tiff has been by his side and caring for their children, Max, 14, Gracie, 13, Maddie, 12, Finnley, 10, and Colby, three.
Paul and his children(Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
Paul is now taking on the 200 kilometre May Your Way challenge to raise money to help research into brain tumours.
He said: “I want to give something back. I’ve already raised £450 and I encourage everyone to get involved.
“Brain tumours are indiscriminate and kill more adults and children in the UK than any other cancer. So much research is still needed and we need to find a cure.”
The scar Paul has been left with(Image: Press release/ Brain Tumour Research)
Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer, and more women under 35 than breast cancer. Despite this, only one per cent of national spend on cancer research is allocated to brain tumours since 2002.
For more information on Paul’s challenge or to make donations, click here.