A new start after 60: I had a breakdown, the old me died – and I cried for the first time in my life

Paula Cocozza - TheGuardian - 14/04
David Williams lost his mother, his marriage fell apart and he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. But it took one more blow to bring him to tears
‘Even though I’ve got the tumour, I’m finally learning to be “emotionally normal”’ … Williams. Photograph: Joel Goodman/The Guardian
View image in fullscreen
‘Even though I’ve got the tumour, I’m finally learning to be “emotionally normal”’ … Williams. Photograph: Joel Goodman/The Guardian

A new start after 60: I had a breakdown, the old me died – and I cried for the first time in my life

David Williams lost his mother, his marriage fell apart and he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. But it took one more blow to bring him to tears

David Williams was 17 when his mother died of cancer. But he didn’t cry when his mum’s friend knocked on the door in the dead of night to give him and his sisters the news. He was the eldest of three, “the adult male” as his father had left years earlier.

Instead, he bottled up his feelings and carried on working. Williams, now 61, says: “Something happens to you in that situation that isn’t your choice...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]