A widow who lost her 32-year-old husband to an aggressive brain tumour is organising a fundraising gig in Glasgow four years after his death.
Dale Barclay’s wife, Laura, has planned an evening of entertainment to raise funds for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Laura, 30, is set to perform in the concert at Stereo in Renfield Lane in Glasgow on Sunday, December 4 to honour Dale on what should have been his 37 th birthday.
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The couple originally met on the Glasgow music scene back in 2012 when Laura was just 20 and Dale 26. Laura had gone to one of The Amazing Snakeheads’ gigs and met Dale - the lead guitarist at the time.
Hitting it off immediately, the couple's relationship blossomed from there.
Laura said: “Watching Dale perform was something else; like he’d been taken over by a power bigger than himself. He felt each note with every ounce of his being.
"Dale forged a path for many other young budding working-class musicians in the community, always offering words of support and encouragement to anyone who needed it. He had a heart of pure gold."
In late 2017, Dale was diagnosed with an incurable glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour after suffering from a series of seizures, vomiting and a severe headache. He underwent surgery, as well as the standard treatment of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
A series of scans indicated his tumour was stable, so it was devastating for the couple to learn, in July 2018, after three seizures in a row, that the tumour had in fact doubled in size.
Dale was adamant he wanted to undergo a second surgery but was told by his oncologist there was little point as the tumour would simply grow back.
Laura added: "The survival prognosis for GBM is 12 to 18 months, but by the time Dale was diagnosed, four weeks after his first seizure, we had so little time left together.
"Despite knowing the grim facts about GBM, Dale was adamant we had to stay positive. We spent most of our days writing and recording, talking, eating and meditating. He was always so resilient, but I suppose he had little choice after his diagnosis."
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the devastating disease.
The couple decided to crowdfund for a private craniotomy which took place in Harley Street in September 2018. The operation went well and Dale was discharged three days later.
Tragically upon returning home, Dale suffered a catastrophic seizure, lost consciousness and sadly passed away in ICU on September 25, 2018.
Earlier this year, Laura set up a fundraising group for Brain Tumour Research called the Dale Barclay Fund to help find a cure for brain tumours. She has also finished a song Dale wrote called 'Wild at Heart' in his memory which she has released both digitally and on vinyl, with all profits going to Brain Tumour Research.
Laura explains that the upcoming concert is "in honour of Dale and the fire he lit in our hearts and bellies." There are several other acts playing in the gig, all based in Glasgow and who were "dear friends" of Dale's.
These include The Leather Corridor - in what will be their first gig appearance in two years, Natalie Pryce – a four-piece bluesy, country and garage band who say their music is about life and death, love and sorrow, sex and dreams, and Boab – real name Robbie Houston, who will be performing his solo project of soundtrack-inspired acoustic songs.
Laura went on to say: "Dale lived for music. His passion was infectious. He was such a huge presence on the music scene, inspiring so many. Putting on a show with our friends while raising funds felt like the most fitting way to honour his legacy."
Matthew Price, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "We are very grateful to Laura for organising this concert to honour Dale and help find a cure so that other couples don’t continue to be wrenched apart by this devastating disease.
"Sadly, with one in three people knowing someone with a brain tumour, Dale’s story is not unique. Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this but it’s only by working together that we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.
"We’re really grateful to Laura for her support in setting up the Dale Barclay Fund. We hope people who read about Dale’s loss will be inspired to buy a copy of ‘Wild at Heart’ and/or go to the gig."
The concert is taking place on Sunday, December 4. Tickets are priced at £12 and can be purchased here.
To buy a copy of Wild at Heart go to https://dalebarclay.bandcamp.com/releases. To donate to the Dale Barclay Fund go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thedalebarclayfund or to donate £5 to Brain Tumour Research text DALE to 70085.
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