Chapter Four lead singer and guitarist needed emergency surgery after almost cutting off his fingers in a freak DIY accident
A musician who almost severed his fingers in a freak accident had his own Christmas song played to him during his operation to help keep him calm.
When John Dawson was rushed to hospital after an incident with an angle grinder, the operating theatre nurses wanted to help him relax throughout the surgery. And John, 79, knew just the tune to soothe his fears – his very own festive number.
The guitarist, of Cowden near Hornsea, has played in the cover band Chapter Four for almost 60 years – a stalwart of the Hull music scene since it started playing in pubs and clubs in the city in the late 1960s. During the pandemic he wrote the Christmas song called ‘Santa’s Still in Lockdown’, which delighted the band’s fans and has so far had more than 26,000 streams on a number of online platforms.
He told how he was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary where he underwent emergency surgery to save his hand. There, the nurses asked him what music he wanted to be played to him while he was having his operation. And after picking his own tune he even sang along during the operation to try and calm his nerves.
John said: “I was using the angle grinder and the blade needed changing. I turned it off but it slipped and went across the back of my right hand.
“My wife called an ambulance and they blue-lighted me to hospital. They asked me if I would like some music on and to request a festive song.
“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.
“It took my mind off the operation and the team was rocking a little when they could at the end. The paramedics and the Plastics Surgery Team were fantastic, I cannot thank them enough.”
The surgery means John should be able to play his guitar again in the future. He’s currently recovering well at home.
Surgeon Majid Al-Khalil added: “I remember it was a nasty injury. John was a really nice chap but he was nervous. We often do put music on to relax patients – it’s for everyone’s benefit really.
“We’ve never put on a song that a patient wrote – that is very unusual! I’m pleased to hear that John is healing well.”
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