In a bid to keep a patient relaxed during his operation, John Dawson (79) had his own Christmas song played to him.
John, from Cowden near Hornsea, was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary after almost severing his fingers in a freak accident involving an angle grinder, and the nurses played his own Christmas song to him during his operation.
The guitarist has played in the cover band Chapter Four for almost 60 years, and wrote ‘Santa’s Still in Lockdown’ during the pandemic. When the nurses played it for him, he sang along throughout – helping him to stay calm.
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 was a success, and means that John should be able to play his guitar again in the future – after spending some time recovering at home. ‘Santa’s Still in Lockdown’ has more than 26,000 streams and is available on a number of online platforms.
The surgeon who operated, Majid Al-Khalil, has said:
“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.”
