A Man Played Guitar While Having a Brain Tumor Removed (7 photos + 1 video)
44-year-old Paul Welsh-Dalton suffered from aphasia and headaches. He was hospitalized after a seizure. He was diagnosed with oligodendroglioma, a rare malignant brain tumor. During a five-hour operation, surgeons removed 98% of the 4-centimeter tumor. The father of five played guitar throughout the operation to ensure the doctors were preserving vital areas. 
On March 3, Paul was at home with his wife, Tiff, and their children when he suffered a seizure.
"His entire right side was paralyzed," the woman recalls. "For a moment, I thought I'd lost him. There were children in the room, and they were scared."
The woman called an ambulance. 
Paul, a health and safety auditor, shared: "At my first meeting with the surgeon, I told him how important my guitar was to me. I've been playing it for 30 years. He offered to take it with me to the operation. It was such a surreal experience."
On March 28, at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Paul played three songs: Green Day's "Good Riddance," Tenacious D's "Tribute," and Oasis's "Wonderwall."
The surgery was a success. Although the stage three tumor was considered terminal, the intervention gave the American more time.
Six and a half weeks of radiation therapy are over. A nine-month course of chemotherapy will begin in October.
Tiff, 39, has been by her husband's side this entire time, caring for their five children: 14-year-old Max, 13-year-old Gracie, 12-year-old Maddie, 10-year-old Finley, and three-year-old Colby.
"I'm not religious, but I tried to help my husband get through it," Tiff admitted. "He was very scared. Colby is only three years old, and Paul was wondering, 'If I die, will he remember me?' Those thoughts tormented him."
After chemotherapy, Paul will have CT scans to monitor the tumor.
"The surgeon warned me it's incurable, but that doesn't mean it's over tomorrow," Tiff said.
