Musician has own festive song played during surgery

An East Yorkshire musician had his own Christmas song played to him during emergency surgery in hospital to help calm his nerves.

John Dawson, 79, from Cowden near Hornsea, injured his fingers in a "freak accident" while changing a blade on an angle grinder.

Mr Dawson, who has played the guitar and sung in his cover band Chapter Four for nearly 60 years, wrote a song during the pandemic called 'Santa's Still in Lockdown'.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said the track was played to him during a successful operation to save his hand.

The guitarist said the blade caught the back of his hand, with an ambulance taking him to Hull Royal Infirmary.

"They asked me if I would like some music on and to request a festive song," he said.

"I said, 'can you play Santa's Still in Lockdown.'

"They were surprised when I sang some of the lyrics and realised I had actually written it."

The hospital trust said the operation was successful and Mr Dawson should still be able to play his guitar in future.

"It took my mind off the operation and the team was rocking a little when they could at the end," he added.

Majid Al-Khalil, the surgeon who operated on Mr Dawson, said: "I remember it was a nasty injury.

"John was a really nice chap but he was nervous."

He continued: "We often do put music on to relax patients – it's for everyone's benefit really."

Mr Dawson is now recovering at home.

The surgeon added: "We've never put on a song that a patient wrote – that is very unusual!"

The musician concluded: "The paramedics and the surgery team were fantastic, I cannot thank them enough."

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