Paul, a 45-year-old father-of-five from Ivybridge, Plymouth, experienced a life-changing medical emergency when he suffered a sudden seizure at home, leading to the discovery of a high grade brain tumour. After undergoing awake brain surgery, during which he played guitar, and subsequent treatment, he is now sharing his story to raise awareness and support for Brain Tumour Research.
Paul tells his story…
In February 2025, I was experiencing an earache and a persistent headache. The next month, on 3rd March, I was getting ready for work when I fell to the floor in the kitchen and had a full-blown seizure out of nowhere.
My wife Tiff, 39, and our five children Max, 14, Gracie, 13, Maddie, 12, Finley, 10, and Colby, three, were all getting ready for the day and saw me fall to the ground.
It was horrific. My whole right side just gave out. The children were in the room, it was scary.
I was taken by ambulance to Derriford Hospital and admitted for a week. After having a CT scan, they said they had found a mass but weren’t sure what type. It was horrendous.
I was told that I would have to have surgery. When I met with the surgeon, I mentioned how important the guitar is to me; I’ve been playing for 30 years. He said, “Bring it along and we’ll see if we can work it into the operation.”
On 28th March, I underwent a 5.5-hour awake craniotomy. During the surgery, I played my guitar so the surgeon could monitor my mobility, cognitive skills and movement.
Being awake during surgery was surreal.
I played songs like Green Day’s ‘Good Riddance’ (Time of Your Life), Tenacious D’s ‘Tribute’, and Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’. It helped the surgeons monitor my brain in real time.
It went well and they removed 98% of the tumour, which was about the size of a kiwi. I was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma.
My only side effects from surgery are some memory recall issues, which they expect to improve with time. I no longer have aphasia. Before, I remember trying to send a text message and my brain was telling me what to write, but it was like there was no connection and I couldn’t do it.
After surgery, I had six and a half weeks of radiotherapy during the summer holidays, which wasn’t easy.
Tiff and our five children were with me at the hospital every morning. Because of the seizure, I couldn’t drive.
I am very lucky they managed to remove most of the tumour and that the side effects are minimal. Waiting for results was the worst feeling, really scary. I got all my finances sorted and my will written. With five children who depend on you, it puts everything into perspective.
Now I’m doing the 200k in May Your Way challenge for Brain Tumour Research – I'll be cycling to clock up the kilometres. I want to give something back. 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.
If you have received a brain tumour diagnosis, keep fighting and live each day as if it is your last.
Paul Welsh-Dalton
April 2026
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been inspired by Paul’s story, or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy www.braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy
Together we will find a cure.
