By Isobel Williams via SWNS
A determined musician who can struggle with words because of a golf ball-sized brain tumor has penned an entire album about his diagnosis and journey.
David Aird, 55, was diagnosed with a meningioma in 2017 following three years of headaches and nausea.
The tumor can cause him confusion and make him “muddled in thoughts and words” – but he persevered to complete the 10-track “Still Got A Sense Of Tumour,” out Wednesday, July 3.
Londoner David, who works as a builder during the day, took four years to finish the limited-edition album.
He hopes it will raise money for charity Brain Tumour Research, which could lead to a cure for brain tumors.
David, known musically as Six Strings and a Pulse, said: “Although sometimes the pain in my head was debilitating and stopped me from being able to do simple tasks, I ignored it for years.
“When I’m relaxed, I can get muddled in my thoughts and words. I must really concentrate and put my mind to something to get the job done.
“Making this album was a long process and documents how I felt after my brain tumor diagnosis and everything that followed, including relationship break ups, emotional breakthroughs, redemption and leaving the past behind me.
“‘When I meet my Death’ is probably the song most inspired by my brain tumor but it’s important to say that I don’t write songs only about the tumor, I write songs living with it. It’s a passenger that comes on every journey.
“The music broke out of me and I felt compelled to record it.”
David, who started playing guitar at 16 and spent eight years in the US with a band, will be donating half the proceeds to Brain Tumour Research.
He added: “My tumor is stable right now, and I know that in the future, I may need surgery.
“Other patients don’t always have that option and still so little is known about the disease because of a lack of investment funding into research.
“Hopefully this will inspire others to carry on and more importantly raise a lot of money for Brain Tumour Research.
“I’ve lost friends to the disease and I’m one of the lucky ones.”
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re grateful to David for sharing his experience of living with a brain tumor.
“His story is not unusual, in the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumor, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumors since records began in 2002.
“We’re determined to change this, and it’s only with the support of people such as David that will help us closer to finding a cure for this cruel disease.”
To purchase the album, please visit: sixstringsandapulse.bandcamp.com/album/still-got-a-sense-of-tumour-2
